One More Secret
by KatyForYou
Summary: Aria's gone too far with her teacher - and now she has another secret to hide. But how long can she hide it from her friends, family and Ezra himself before "A" lets it out?
1. Chapter 1

The four girls were sitting in the middle of a field, surrounded by wide open space.

"This is stupid," Hanna complained. "A knows everything we do, anyway, and all that's happening here is I'm getting bitten on the legs by something. And it better not be ants."

"Look, we're just trying to get as far away from A, whoever she – or he – is, as we possibly can," Emily snapped. "I don't see how she can follow us all the way out here and still be able to hear what we're saying. There's nowhere to hide."

"Never stopped her before," Spencer said, glancing around uncertainly.

"Whatever. Since we ARE all out here, we need to talk. We need to lay our cards on the table. We're all hiding too much stuff from each other, and A knows it, and she's using it against us." Hanna interrupted.

Emily glanced at the others nervously, and Spencer fiddled with a piece of grass in front of her. Aria said nothing.

"What is wrong with you all?" Hanna said, exasperated. "Look, how much does A really have on us, when you think about it? Aside from the Jenna thing. Just stupid stuff, like me getting caught shoplifting, or stuff that happened with Sean. Why are we so afraid of her?"

"Maybe our secrets are a little bigger than your stupid ones, that's why!" Spencer spat out.

"What, like how you're still seeing Wren?" Hanna retorted angrily.

"You're still seeing Wren?" Emily said incredulously. "Wait, are you guys-?"

"No! And I'm not "seeing him". He showed up at my house the other night, totally drunk, and I drove him home. He kissed me and he tried to get me to come inside with him, but I didn't. And that's it. Thanks, Hanna."

"Whatever. Point is, nothing actually happened between you guys, but A is still trying to scare you with it. Maybe if we all just shared whatever's going on in our lives, it wouldn't be so bad."

There was a silence. Then Aria made a movement, as thought she were about to speak, and then stopped.

"Aria? You've been very quiet. What's A got on you?" Hanna demanded.

"Nothing."

"The hell she hasn't! You haven't told us what messages A's sent you for weeks," Hanna pointed out. "And I doubt she's forgotten about you, somehow. So spill."

"Look, I can't, okay. It's not only my secret."

Emily and Spencer exchanged glances. Then Emily said, "Aria. Look, I wasn't going to tell you I know this, but I heard you throw up in the bathroom yesterday."

"So what? I wasn't feeling well," Aria said defensively.

"Yeah, but I also heard you the day before that, and Spencer says you were sick last week, too…"

Oh, god, thought Aria. They know.

Spencer took over. "We know it's hard with your parents, and all, at the moment," she said. "But it's not good for you, making yourself sick like that. You should speak to someone, Aria. But don't let A hold this over you. An eating disorder is nothing to be ashamed of."

Aria started laughing. "Oh my god! You think I'm bulimic?" Too late she realized she should have just played along with their suspicions, and pretended she was. That would have been much easier than the truth.

"Come on, Aria. Nobody gets sick that much without a reason."

Aria looked round at her three friends. They'd have to find out sooner or later. But she didn't need to tell them everything.

Hanna got there first. "Oh. My. God. Are you – Aria! Are you…pregnant?" She said the last word in a whisper, as though that would somehow make it less harsh.

Aria winced inwardly, and then breathed out. "I think so," she said simply.

There was a deafening silence, which to Aria seemed to go on for a good ten minutes. It wasn't more than ten seconds, though, till it was broken by Emily.

"Why didn't you tell us? I mean, how long have you known?"

"About a week. At least, that's when I took a home pregnancy test. Five times. They all said positive, but I haven't gone to a doctor yet."

"But Aria…we didn't even know you were seeing someone," Spencer said, concerned. "When did you – I mean, how long have you -?"

"Look, I don't feel like sharing all the gory details, all right? Believe me, I know it wasn't the smartest decision of my life. But now there's this baby, and – and – I just don't know –"

"Are you going to – I mean, have you thought about getting an abortion?" Hanna suggested quietly. Aria turned blazing eyes on her.

"No! I would never do that. Christ, Hanna, you think I would ever kill my baby?"

"Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion."

"Well, it's not going to happen," Aria said firmly.

"So then…are you going to keep it?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to HAVE it, if that's what you mean. But then…maybe giving it up would be best. I don't know. I've still got time to think about it."

"Until you start showing." Spencer said, the disbelief that this was even happening evident in her voice.

"I guess. It's just….A knows about it."

The other three stared at her in consternation. "And you think…" Emily said.

"That she might tell my mom, or…everyone."

"So tell your mom before A gets there. It doesn't have to be like the last time, with A sending your mom that letter about your Dad's affair," Hanna urged. "And you're going to have to tell her sooner or later, anyway."

Aria looked at the other three, exasperated. But then, they didn't know. How could they?

"You guys don't get it! It's not the fact that I'm pregnant that I'm worried about A telling my mom. It's her finding out who the father is."

2


	2. Chapter 2

"So…who IS the father?" Hanna asked eventually, voicing the question of all three girls.

"I can't tell you, okay? That's what I meant when I said it wasn't only my secret!"

"Why not? Do we know him?" Spencer demanded.

Aria hesitated, and then said, "I can't tell you, okay? I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"So we DO know him," Hanna remarked.

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you would have said no if it HAD been someone we didn't know." Hanna replied.

"Ok, fine, whatever. But I'm still not going to tell you who it is," said Aria.

"But A knows," Spencer said.

"Yes."

"And she might tell your Mom."

"It's not just my mom! It's everybody! No one can find out about this!"

"Um, if A knows, I think they're pretty much going to, in the end," Emily said.

"She's right, you know," Spencer added. "It's just a matter of when."

"Maybe she won't," Aria said desperately. "I mean, she hasn't told about the Jenna thing yet, or some of your other secrets. Maybe – maybe we'll figure out who she is before then! Maybe no one will ever have to know."

"Jesus, Aria, who IS this guy?" Hanna demanded, impatiently. "Why are you so freaked out? I mean, once your mom knows you're pregnant, she's gonna know there's a father, so why on earth is it such a huge deal?"

"I told you! I don't want her – or anyone - to know who it is."

"Holy crap, Aria. This guy – he's not ….married, or something, is he?" Emily demanded.

"No! Do you think I would ever do that, after my Dad…?"

"Shit. I'm sorry. Of course you wouldn't. But then what is the big deal? I mean, you don't have to tell us his name, if you don't want to. But what is so bad about who he is?"

"We just never should have gotten involved, okay? He's – he's older than I am. And I'm underage. They'd probably arrest him for statutory rape, or something."

"Only if your mom pressed charges, which I'm guessing she wouldn't do," Spencer said.

"Even if she didn't, he'd still be in a whole lot of trouble!" Aria cried. "He'd lose his job, and his license…" she trailed off, realizing she had already said too much.

"His license? What is he, like your doctor or something?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"No! Look, I've already said too much."

"Yes, you have. So you'd better just spill it, because all three of us are going to walk around now, mentally accusing every older man you know who has a license – doctors, lawyers, teachers…" Hanna trailed off as she noted the brief flicker of fear that had gone across Aria's face as she'd said the word "teachers". "Jesus Christ, Aria. It's a teacher?"

Mutely, Aria nodded. She was going to have to tell them now. Why couldn't she just have kept her mouth shut?

"Holy…fuck." Emily whispered, and Spencer just stared, her mouth open.

"One of our teachers?" Hanna asked, her voice hushed, just as it had been when she'd said the word "pregnant".

Aria nodded again.

"Who?" Emily asked softly, matching Hanna's tone.

This was it. No turning back now. And secretly Aria knew she'd been aching to share this secret with someone; the secret that had started out fun and dangerous, which had now turned into a nightmare she couldn't handle by herself. To her shame, she felt her eyes filling with tears. She looked up at the concerned gazes of her three friends, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she said, softly and simply:

"Mr Fitz".

2


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr Fitz?" It came as a concerted shriek from all three.

"You've – with Fitz?" Spencer added on for good measure.

"What the hell were you THINKING?" Hanna gasped.

"Ok, wait, hold on. Aria," Emily turned concerned eyes on her friend, "did he – I mean-"

"What?"

"Did he…_force _you?"

"_What?"_

"You can tell us, if he did," Emily continued. "We're here for you, no matter what happened-"

Aria interrupted her. "Shut up, Emily. He didn't force me, he didn't rape me, whatever you're hoping might have happened to get me into this –"

"Jesus, Aria, I could never hope that! I just wanted to make sure!"

"Of what? That I'm not a complete idiot who met a nice guy in a bar one day, then discovered that he was her teacher, and, like an idiot, kept on seeing him?"

"That's what happened?" Hanna asked, as Emily seemed too chastened to reply.

"That's what happened. And he kept saying we should break it off, that it wasn't right, and then we kept on seeing each other anyway. And then, one night when I was really upset about my parents and stuff at home, I went over to his place, and we…had sex."

"Oh my god," Hanna said quietly. The other two seem too shocked to say anything.

"Say something!" Aria cried out, after what seemed like a full minute of silence. She could feel her face burning and the blood rushing to her ears. "I know it was stupid, all right? However stupid it was to see him, date him, kiss him, it was infinitely stupider to sleep with him. Okay? I know that. I feel like such a complete moronic idiot. Please don't make me feel worse. You guys are my best friends, and I need your help…and your support."

"Oh, Aria, I'm so sorry!" Emily scooted over and put her arms around her friend. "We're not judging you, I promise. And we're going to be here for you through everything, aren't we, you guys?"

"Absolutely!" said Hanna, and Spencer nodded, putting her hand on Aria's knee and giving it a squeeze of solidarity.

"Thanks, you guys," Aria said, wiping her eyes with a tissue that had seen better days. "It helps that you know. This last week has been killing me."

"So you haven't told – Mr Fitz yet?" Spencer asked.

"No! How could I break that to him? 'Oh hi, Ezra, remember how we had sex the other night, even though I'm sixteen and underage and your student? Well, everybody's about to find out, because I'm pregnant.' Yeah, that's not going to work out so well."

"But you're not 100% _sure_ you're pregnant, right?" Spencer said suddenly. "I mean, you haven't been to a doctor yet, you said."

"Well, no," Aria conceded. "But I did take a ton of tests."

"Those things aren't always accurate," Emily said confidently. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do. You don't have a gynaecologist, right?"

Aria shook her head.

"I figured. But I do. My mom took me to one last year when my periods were being kind of erratic. We'll get you an appointment with her, and find out if you really are pregnant. Then we can figure out what to do next – if you are, I mean."

"And she won't want to – I don't know – call my mom, or something?" Aria asked desperately.

"I'm sure she won't. Patient-Doctor confidentiality, right?" Hanna reassured her.

"I'm gonna call right now and make an appointment," Emily said, scrolling through her contacts. "Ssh, you guys – hi, yes, I need an appointment with Dr Greene, please. As soon as possible." There was a pause. "Nothing till Monday? Are you sure? It's kind of an emergency." Another pause, then Emily looked at her watch. "Yes, we can make it by three. We'll hurry. It's Em – er, no, actually, put it under Aria Montgomery. A-R-I-A. Yes, Montgomery. No, she's a new patient. Yes, no, that's fine. Ok, thanks."

She hung up. "We are going to have to drive like the devil himself is after us to get there by three," she said, jumping to her feet. "You all coming?"

"Three o'clock…now?" Aria asked stupidly, even though she knew the answer.

"Of course now! Otherwise you'd have to wait the whole weekend!" Emily replied crossly. Then, seeing Aria's face, her tone softened. "Look, I know it's scary. But think how much better you'll feel once you know for sure if you're really, you know, or not."

"You can say the word," Aria replied with a glimmer of a smile. "Pregnant. And you're probably right. I'm just scared of it becoming real, you know? Right now there's still a chance it isn't true. And it's easier to hold onto that."

"Well, we're going," Spencer said firmly. "You have to find out sometime, and Emily's made this appointment for you, so come on." And she took Aria by the hand and pulled her off across the field so fast that Aria had no more time to think about whether she was pregnant or not, she was so busy trying to keep up.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom, I'm pregnant."

No.

"Mom, I have something to tell you. I'm pregnant."

"Mom, please don't get mad…"

"I've done something stupid, and I'm really mad at myself, so please don't be mad too, okay, Mom?"

Ugh. Definitely not.

Aria sighed and pushed her closet door closed, so that her face was no longer reflected in the mirror, and flopped down on her bed. It was all very well for the others to say stuff like, "Just tell her. Just spit it out", but any way she tried to put it sounded completely awful. She pictured the look of shock on her mother's face, how pale she'd go, and then how the shock would turn to anger directed at Aria herself, how she'd shout, berate, and accuse her daughter, blaming her for being so stupid as to have sex at her age, let alone get pregnant, and then after a while she would probably start blaming herself, doubting herself, assuming that she'd been a bad mother. And Aria didn't feel able to cope with any of it right now. It was three weeks since she'd found out at the gynaecologist that she was indeed pregnant. The others had been amazingly supportive, considering the circumstances. _ "After all, I am the teenage slut who seduced her teacher," _Aria thought to herself, knowing that it wasn't true, but also knowing that it was exactly how it would look to everybody else. Face it, no one would ever look favourably, or even non-judgmentally, on a student who was pregnant by her high school teacher. Which is why she was determined that no one at school would ever find out who the father was.

Aria was eight weeks pregnant now. In another month or two she would begin to show, and by that time she had to have found a way to tell the three most important people who needed to know: Her mother and father….and Ezra.

Aria had thought this out very carefully. She'd made lists of the pros and cons of all the options available to her, and Emily, Spencer and Hanna had helped as well. But mostly, Aria had spent a lot of time alone in her room, thinking about the problem she was carrying. She'd even being seeing Ezra less than before, telling him that her family's problems were taking their toll on her, and that she needed to be there for her younger brother, as well as for her parents. Her Dad hadn't moved out as she'd been afraid he would, but he was no longer sleeping in the same room as her Mom; he'd moved himself onto the sofa in his study. They were still "working on things", and the last thing they needed at this time was the news that their sixteen-year-old daughter was pregnant. Aria would have loved to spare them, but unfortunately the only way to do that would be to have an abortion, and that option was already crossed off Aria's list. Much as it would have solved everything, she knew she could never do that to her baby. So it was onto Option two.

Option two was to tell her parents that she was pregnant, but not tell them who the father was. And the only way to do that convincingly would be to tell them that she didn't know who the father was. That hurt her pride, because Aria really wasn't the sort of girl to hook up with some strange guy at a party and have sex with him, but that was exactly what she was planning on telling her parents. It was the only way Ezra would be safe. If anyone found out he was the father he probably would be thrown in jail, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, and even if he wasn't he would lose his license and the respect of everyone he knew. Not to mention how the kids at school would treat HER if they knew she was carrying a teacher's baby. No, absolutely no one could ever know that Mr Fitz was the father. Non-negotiable.

Which led Aria to the next problem: telling Ezra she was pregnant, or having her parents send her out of town to have the baby, so that Ezra would never know. Giving the baby up for adoption seemed the best option. She was only 16, too young to be a mother, and anyway, if she kept it, then Ezra would never be able to be a father to it without people finding out. Aria didn't think she could do that to him. Having to pretend that your child wasn't your child would be a pretty horrible way to go through life. But if she never told him, and gave the baby away, wouldn't that be easier?

Easier, yes, but if Ezra ever found out, he'd hate you, Aria's conscience pointed out. The baby is his, too. What gives you the right to decide its future and never even let Ezra, its father, know of its existence?

And that was where Aria was stuck. She wasn't particularly worried about the kids at school knowing she was pregnant. Girls got pregnant all the time – okay, not ALL the time, but it happened – and anyway, she didn't care what a bunch of high school kids thought about her, as long as they didn't know who the father was. And her parents had to find out, sooner or later. But telling Ezra or not telling Ezra: that was the problem which was eating her up inside.

Aria sighed and rolled over on her side, her hands spread over her abdomen, trying to imagine what it would feel like when it was round and swollen with a baby inside. She knew she still had some time; she'd been reading on the internet and apparently it was common for petite girls like herself not to show too early. She also knew that she could probably hide the baby bump for a couple of months without even altering her wardrobe, as she generally wore loose dresses and baggy shirts, and always wore some kind of layer in the form of a jacket or even a scarf. What she couldn't decide was whether or not she should tell her parents now, or wait until she absolutely had to because she couldn't hide it any longer. The latter would definitely hurt them more ("Why didn't you trust us, Aria? How could you hide this from us for so long?") but on the other hand, it did buy her time to decide what to do about Ezra. But the thing is, she wouldn't be able to hide it from Ezra as long as she could from her parents. Even if she continued to convince him that having sex had been a mistake and that they should wait to do it again, he would still want to touch her, caress her, and a baby bump would be impossible to hide in that case. Add to that the fact that her breasts had already started to swell, and, well….No. There was no way she couldn't tell him. Unless she told her parents and they sent her away somewhere NOW. But then Ezra would never know he had a child…

No, Aria decided suddenly. I couldn't live with myself if I kept this from him. I have to tell him. I have to tell him now.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Aria grabbed her purse and ran downstairs. She was going to go and tell Ezra now, before she changed her mind. As she passed through the front hall, though, she heard her mother's voice.

"Aria, is that you? Dinner's just about ready."

"Oh, crap," Aria muttered to herself. Out loud, she called, "I have to go do something. And I'm not that hungry now. Maybe I'll pick up something later."

"Nonsense," Ella Montgomery replied, appearing in the kitchen door with a bowl of salad in her hands. "You'll eat here with the rest of us – and anyway, I don't think I like all this gallivanting around on a school night you've been doing lately. We've barely seen you for weeks. Now help me mix this salad and then we can sit around the table and eat, as a family."

"What, even Dad?" Aria asked before she could think better of it.

"Yes," Ella said shortly, and then turned away to get the plates out of the sideboard. Aria glanced over at her brother, who was laying the table, and decided to say no more about her father.

"Can I go out after we've eaten, then?" she asked instead.

"No, you may not. I told you you've been going out far too much lately."

"But I just want to see Spencer and the others," Aria lied.

"You can see them at school tomorrow. Or you can call them, if it's so important. But honestly, Aria, I don't want you going out every night till all hours like you've been doing. You're only sixteen , and a sophomore at school. So tonight you'll stay in and do your homework. You can call your friends and tell them you're not coming after dinner."

Aria sat down sullenly. _I am so grounded for the rest of my life when Mom finds out I'm pregnant,_ she realized. _Maybe I shouldn't tell her just yet. Once I do, I'll practically be in prison. I should probably put that off as long as possible. And if I tell Ezra first, then he can help me decide what to do._

The next day at school, Ezra caught Aria after his class. "Can I have a word with you about your extra credit, Aria?" he said loudly, as she was about to leave with her friends. She'd been afraid to go speak to him in case he saw something was wrong; now that she'd decided to tell him about the baby she was desperately nervous, but she obviously couldn't tell him at school. And now here he was, calling her over. She reluctantly detached herself from her friends and went over to the desk. As the last student left and closed the door behind them, Ezra looked at her quizzically.

"Everything okay?"

"Of course! Why?" Aria said, a little too quickly.

Ezra shrugged. "I guess…it just seems like you've been avoiding me lately."

"I'm sorry. It's just everything with my mom and dad, and school's been keeping me busy…" Aria trailed off, knowing how unconvincing she sounded.

Ezra sighed. "Aria, if this…us… isn't working for you, you can tell me. I can take it," he said, with a wry smile. "I know I'm not at all the kind of guy you should be with-"

"No! It's not that! It's just, I really have had a lot to deal with lately," Aria insisted. "Look, we can't talk now. Can I come over to your house tonight?"

"Not tonight. There's the parent teacher conference, remember?" Ezra replied. "Which reminds me, are your parents coming?"

Aria, who had conveniently forgotten to give her mother the letter about the conference, shrugged and shook her head. "Probably not. They're barely speaking to each other; I'm sure they've got more important things to worry about than coming and talking to my teachers."

"Oh, Aria, I'm sorry," Ezra said softly, reaching over the desk to take her hand, and then quickly withdrawing it as the door opened and his next class began to pour in. "Look," he said quickly and quietly, "why don't you come over tomorrow night? That okay?"

Aria nodded silently, and then left. It was going to have to wait till the next evening, then. Oh well. One more day wouldn't hurt.

"What took you so long?" Spencer whispered, as Aria, having apologized for her tardiness to Mr Williams, the history teacher, slid into the seat next to her. Aria shook her head.

"Just trying to organize when I can see Ezra," she whispered, under cover of her textbook. "I'm going to tell him. Tomorrow night."

Spencer's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Aria's phone buzzed. Her heart sinking, she clicked open the text that popped up.

"Better hurry up, Aria, before your secret gets too big to keep. Literally. –A.

Aria felt sick. What was "A" planning to do? Was it all just big talk, or would she really reveal Aria and Mr Fitz's secret to the world. What was the use of trying to keep a secret in this town, when "A" knew every little thing that went on? They had to find out who she was, before both Aria's and Ezra's lives were ruined.

"Was it A?" Spencer demanded, and Aria nodded.

"She knows I'm going to tell Ezra. I keep trying to convince myself that she won't actually DO anything, but she does know about Ezra and me. I have to warn him, tell him about the baby, before - I mean, in case A does something."

"Miss Montgomery, Miss Hastings? Do you have something to share with the class?" their teacher's harsh voice interrupted them.

"No, sir." They both muttered.

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind keeping quiet so I can continue the lesson?" he said sarcastically.

"Yes sir," Spencer said apologetically, and Aria nodded distractedly. There was no way she could concentrate on boring old history with what she had on her mind.

At lunch, the four girls sat at their usual table, and all three of the others noticed how quiet Aria was.

"What's with her?" Hanna mouthed at Spencer, as Aria played with the food on her plate, moving it round and round in circles. Spencer shrugged, unable to answer without speaking. Aria, however, looked up.

"I'm going to tell Ezra tomorrow night," she said, very softly so no one could overhear her.

"About the – you know?" Hanna asked.

"Of course. I wanted to tonight, but he has to be at the stupid parent teacher conference. So I'm going to tell him tomorrow…if my stupid mother will let me go out. She's been totally on my case about it lately."

"Aria, your parents aren't coming tonight, are they?" Emily demanded.

"Well, I never even gave my mom the note about it, so no," Aria replied. "Those things are stupid at the best of times, and anyway, I couldn't put Ezra through that - having to sit and discuss me with my mom and Dad like I was just any old pupil. It'd be awful."

"Yikes,_ imagine_," Emily said. "What a disaster."

"Yeah well, luckily it's not going to happen," Aria replied. She pushed her plate away suddenly. "Ugh, I can't eat this. It's making me feel sick just looking at it. I'll see you guys later, okay?" And she got up and walked out of the cafeteria.

"Let her go," Hanna said to Spencer, who looked like she wanted to go after her friend. "She just needs some time alone to work this all out. She knows we're here for her if she needs us."

When Aria got home later that afternoon, she went straight to her room and closed the door. Ten seconds later, her mom knocked on it and opened it.

"Aria? Can you organize dinner for yourself and Mike? There's some readymade meals in the freezer, if you want. Or you can make pasta."

Aria looked up from her bed at her mother, who was wearing smart black pants and a blue satin blouse. "You look kind of dressed up," she remarked. "Where are you going?"

"Your parent teacher conference, of course," Ella replied. She raised her eyebrows at Aria's shocked face. "Just because you didn't tell me doesn't mean I didn't know," she said, and closed the door as she left.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Shit," said Aria, as she heard the front door close as her mother left. "Shit shit shit shit shit. This is SO not supposed to happen!"

"What's not supposed to happen?"

Aria jumped. "Mike! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"I did. You didn't hear me," he said, aggrieved. "So what's with all the swearing? What wasn't supposed to happen?"

"Nothing. At least, it's too complicated to explain," Aria said wearily.

"Try me," said Mike, who was bored.

"No. I have to go out," Aria said, coming to a decision. "Mom left microwave meals in the freezer; you can heat one up when you're hungry."

"Does Mom know you're going out?" Mike demanded.

"No. And you're not going to tell her, either. I'll be back before she is, anyway. Where's Dad?"

"Still at work, I think," Mike shrugged. "Aria – do they – do they tell you anything?"

"About what? You mean what's going on with them?" Then, as Mike nodded, "Not a thing. Zip. Nada. But at least Dad's still here, right?"

"When he IS here," Mike grumbled. "He seems to spend 24/7 at work, lately."

"Mike, I'm sure it'll work out, okay?" Aria said. Much as her parents' marital issues upset her, right now she had a bigger problem to deal with. "I have to go now."

She ran downstairs, grabbed her coat, and slammed the door behind her, not looking back at her brother.

On the way, while stopped at a red light, Aria quickly texted Ezra. _'Mom coming 2nite. Sorry'. _There. At least he was warned. But she still had to go and try and overhear what went on, or at least speak to Ezra first, before her Mom saw him. Not that she could actually DO anything, and if her Mom saw her there she'd probably be pretty pissed off, but she couldn't just sit around at home while her mother went to have a chat with the father of her unborn child. Not that either of them had any idea of the existence of said unborn child. In fact, she was worrying for nothing. Ezra was hardly going to say anything about their relationship, and as far as Ella was concerned, he was just that nice teacher they'd bumped into at the movies that time. No reason why they shouldn't just chat for five minutes about Aria's English classwork, and leave it at that. After all, what else was there to say? Aria had been very careful never to mention Ezra in any way, shape or form at hom; so as far as Ella knew, Mr Fitz was just like any other teacher that Aria couldn't care less about either way.

Aria nearly turned the car around right then and drove home, but she couldn't bring herself to. She HAD to see for herself what Ezra and her Mom would talk about. She had to see if her Mom would suspect or guess anything as she talked to Aria's secret boyfriend. And she had to see it for herself, not just ask Ezra the next day, because she knew her mother and Ezra didn't, and she'd be able to pick up on any subtle signs that would mean Ella suspected…something.

"Anyway," Aria said to herself, as she parked the car in the school parking lot, well away from her Mom's car which was already there, right near the front door, "at least I've got an iron-clad excuse for being here. That Physics textbook certainly will come in handy. Ok, so the homework's not due till the day after tomorrow, but Mom doesn't need to know that."

She went round the side of the school building and went in there. No reason to draw attention to herself. Inside, the corridor was dark, and Aria felt her way along the rows of lockers until she rounded a corner and entered the passage where her own locker was; which, luckily, was a little brighter, thanks to the light in the stairwell at the end.

"Proof first." Aria went over to her locker and opened it to get her physics book out. As she did so, a folded piece of paper fell to the floor. Aria bent down to pick it up and opened it without thinking. She gasped. Inside was a crude, stick-figure drawing, of herself holding a baby, with Mr Fitz standing far to the left of her (he was labeled, in untidy, childish handwriting), while on the other side were her parents and Mike, all labeled as well, and also standing well away from Aria. And underneath, in the same childish writing:

NO HAPPY FAMILIES FOR ARIA. MAYBE TONIGHT IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR EVERYONE TO REALIZE THAT: TWO BIRDS WITH ONE SECRET. –A

"No, no no! Who the hell ARE you?" Aria cried out into the dark. Her voice echoed round the corridor. "Why don't you show yourself? Why are you doing this to us?"

There was silence. Of course there was. A wasn't about to be tempted out by Aria's little temper tantrum, assuming she – or he – was even there, anyway. Aria took the picture, folded it twice over, and then zipped it inside one of the compartments in her purse. She'd burn it when she got home. Then she pulled her physics book out of the locker, slammed it shut, and ran off as fast as she could, in the direction of Mr Fitz's classroom. She had no way of knowing if A was really going to let her secret out, or if she was just messing with her, but she had to find her Mom and stop her from seeing Ezra if she possibly could. Perhaps if they weren't together, A wouldn't be able to say anything.

Aria raced across the building to where Mr Fitz's classroom was, only to discover it was in a similar state of semi-darkness. Oh, great. Probably they were doing the whole thing in the gym, then, instead of in individual classrooms. That explained why this part of the building was so dark. Now she still had to get across the quad to the gym. Aria turned to run down the stairs which would take her to the nearest exit, and as she did she heard a noise which stopped her dead in her tracks. A low chuckle, which became louder as it grew into a full-fledged laugh, which echoed and reverberated around the empty passage. It was the most terrifying, menacing, evil sound Aria had ever heard. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and her insides filled with dread. And still the laughing continued. Aria turned and ran, down the stairs and out the door, across the lawn to the opposite building, from which lights and noise emanated, until she could no longer hear the sound of the laughter. She bolted inside the first door she found, slammed it behind her, and stopped to catch her breath, gasping as much from fear as from her wild flight. Who WAS that? Clearly they were trying to scare her – and it had worked. The sound of that horrible laughter still echoed in Aria's head. Was it Alison's murderer? WAS 'A' Ali's murderer, or someone else? And why were they trying to destroy the lives of every one of Alison's friends?

Aria took a few steps forward. She had to find people. She didn't feel safe in this passage by herself. She was terrified and suddenly felt sick; the fear and the run together had made her light-headed and slightly queasy. She walked along the passage determinedly, and as she rounded a corner, she saw a group of people chatting and drinking coffee just outside the gym. She was safe. No one could kill her with all those people there. In her state of terror it was all she could think of. She would be safe. She ran forward, but her legs suddenly didn't seem to want to move. Everything was going black, and Aria thought she heard someone call out her name as she collapsed to the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

"Mr Fitz?"

Ezra looked up from the papers on his desk to see an attractive, dark-haired woman smiling down at him. Wait. What was she -

"Mrs Montgomery!" he jumped to his feet a little too hastily, and in his nervousness, his knee banged against the desk, and he knocked all the papers flying to the floor. Dammit. What was Aria's mother doing here? Aria had sounded so certain that she wasn't coming.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" Ezra knelt down to pick up the fallen papers, breathing deeply. _Okay, just relax, Ezra. She doesn't know anything. She's just here because you're Aria's English teacher. She doesn't know you've had sex with her daughter. Her sixteen-year-old daughter._

"I'm sorry for being so clumsy," he said, rising from the floor, and forcing himself to meet Ella Montgomery's eyes and give her a friendly smile. _She doesn't know, she doesn't know…_

"Oh, nonsense! If the worst I ever knocked off my desk was papers, I'd be a happy woman," Ella laughed. She paused and Ezra stared at her in silence, noticing how her eyes were the exact same colour as Aria's. "Um – may I?"

"What? Oh, of course!" Ezra said hastily, realizing that Ella was indicating the seat on the opposite side of the desk from his. "Please do sit down." He sat down himself, and shuffled the papers around in front of him, ostensibly looking for Aria's class list, while trying to compose himself. This was way too bloody hard. It was all very well he and Aria pretending the world didn't exist when they were together, but the problem was, the world DID exist, and Aria was sixteen, and she did have a family who loved her, and what he and shewere doing was against the rules. Sure, they'd only had sex that one time, but once was one time too many, as far as the law was concerned. And definitely as far as Aria's protective mother, now sitting right in front of him, was concerned. Ezra swallowed. Hard.

"So…how is Aria doing?" Mrs Montgomery was asking.

"Fine, I think," Ezra said without thinking. Then realizing that Ella meant specifically in English class, he added hastily, "Really well, actually. She certainly is one of my better students. She tells me she wants to major in English at college?"

_On the day we met and we made out in the bathroom of a bar. For what felt like hours._

"Does she?" Ella sounded pleased. Then, realizing that Ezra was looking at her in surprise, "Oh, well, you know what teenage girls are like! Their parents are always the last to know anything about what's going on in their lives. You probably know more about her than I do," she said light-heartedly.

Ezra forced a smile over the image that had just surfaced in his head, of him running his hands all over Aria's naked body. _You have no idea._

"Oh, I doubt it," he said, matching her same joking tone. "But I think Aria would do really well – I wouldn't be surprised if she could win some sort of scholarship for English, actually. Her writing really is quite remarkable for a girl her age."

_Because I keep forgetting she's only sixteen. Conveniently. Because it's easier not to remember that._

"English always has been her favourite subject," Mrs Montgomery said, looking pleased at Ezra's praise of her daughter. "Even when she was a little girl, she was always scribbling things in her journal, or diary – whatever it was. Not that she ever let me see what she was writing," she laughed. "But I didn't mind. Little girls must have their secrets, I suppose."

_And big girls, too. With bigger secrets to match._

"I'm sure Aria appreciated you respecting her privacy," Ezra said, in a neutral tone. "She's a very sweet girl, but she's the sort of girl who needs support from her family and friends, even if she pretends she doesn't."

Ella looked at him, startled.

_Shit. I've said too much._

"I'm sorry, Mrs Montgomery. I didn't mean to butt in, or anything. I'm just…good at reading people, and I get carried away sometimes, overanalyzing them. It's probably the writer in me. Please forgive me."

Ella looked at him curiously. "It's all right," she said. "You're probably right. I'm afraid I've been a bit too wrapped up in my own life lately to-"

"Please, don't apologize," Ezra interrupted. "She's your daughter, and she's an intelligent, thoughtful young lady. Clearly you're doing something right."

_How did I even get INTO this conversation? I was just supposed to talk about Aria's classwork, not start explaining the reasons I fell in love with her!_

_Wait, what? Did I just-?_

_I'm in love with Aria Montgomery. Oh, fuck._

"Mr Fitz?"

"What?"

"Are you all right? You've gone really pale," Ella said, concerned.

Ezra shook his head, trying to shake off the thought, and the sudden strange feeling he'd had in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't explain. No quite fear, not quite dread, not quite shock…but something. "I'm fine. I just…I don't know. I felt odd for a second. But I'm fine, really," he insisted.

There was a sudden commotion outside the door across the gym from them, and everyone turned to see what was going on – not that they could see anything, since the door was only slightly ajar. A second later it burst open and someone called, "Are Aria Montgomery's parents here?'

Both Ella and Ezra jumped to their feet in alarm. "I'm her mother!" Ella called out, running across the room to Mr Greene, one of the teachers. Ezra followed without thinking. "What happened?" Ella demanded, as white as Ezra had been a minute ago – and, indeed, still was.

"She's collapsed just outside, in the corridor. But don't worry, I'm sure it's just a little faint-"

"But – but she's not even here," Ella said dazedly, as she pushed through the door, Ezra still on her heels. The crowd parted and she saw in shock that it was indeed Aria on the floor, her face sheet-white against the dark hair fanned out around it, her eyes closed. Someone had lifted her legs up onto a chair, and someone else – or maybe the same someone - was kneeling down next to her, holding her wrist to check her pulse.

"Aria! Oh my God! What happened?" she demanded of the woman, kneeling down across from her and putting her hand on Aria's cheek. The woman shook her head.

"I don't know. I didn't see her until she was on the floor. It seems like she just fainted, though."

"She was running along the corridor towards us, and then she just kind of fell," volunteered a man standing nearby.

"Why isn't she waking up, though?" Ella cried. "Aria! Aria, honey, it's Mom. Please wake up!" she patted Aria's cheek lightly.

Ezra stood in the crowd, feeling weak at the knees, and unable to say or do anything. He had to force himself not to rush over to Aria's side and beg her to wake up, as her Mom was doing. All he wanted was to take her hand and run his hand over her face and hold her close, and he couldn't. It was agony. Why wasn't she waking up?

_Wake up, Aria. I'll do anything. Just please…be okay._

"Aria?" her mother suddenly gasped, and the crowd seemed to heave a sigh of relief along with Ezra's, as Aria's eyes fluttered open.

"Aria, it's Mom. Are you okay?"

Aria's eyes, confused, took in her mother's face, and then seemed to clear. "Ow," was all she managed to groan. Her head hurt like hell.

"Are you hurt?" Ella demanded anxiously.

"What – what happened?" Aria asked, still confused, her eyes darting around the crowd that stood around her.

"You fainted, honey. We're at the school. It's the parent teacher conference, remember?"

"Oh." In a flash, Aria remembered the laugh, that horrible, horrible laugh, and she closed her eyes and shuddered.

"Are you okay? Have you hurt yourself?" Ella asked.

" My physics book," Aria murmured. Suddenly, it seemed very important. That was why she was here. They had to know that.

"It's right here," volunteered the woman who had been taking Aria's pulse. "You dropped it right next to you when you fell."

"Is that why you're here, Aria? To fetch a textbook?" her mother asked, surprised.

"Uhuh." Aria tried to sit up, and groaned as her head started pounding.

"What is it?"

"My head…hurts," Aria murmured.

"I think I'd better take you to the emergency room," Ella said, concerned. "You might be concussed, or something."

"I think that's a good idea," agreed the woman.

Aria, sitting up, suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Ezra, standing in the crowd right across from her. In a flash, she realized that she definitely could NOT go to any kind of emergency room, hospital or doctor right now. Because she would have to tell them she was pregnant. There were all sorts of tests and things, like X-Rays and MRIs, that couldn't be run on pregnant women. But she couldn't let her Mom find out like this. Not in a million years.

"No! I don't want to go to the hospital," she said firmly. "I'm fine. I just got dizzy….because I didn't have dinner before I came out, and I wasn't hungry at lunch. You don't need to take me all the way to the hospital. I'll be fine once I've had something to eat. Really."

"That's all very well, but you could have hurt yourself when you fell, Aria," her mother said gently. "You could have concussion…or, I don't know! Natasha Richardson _died_ after she had a fall that she got up feeling fine after."

"That was a freak accident," Aria said desperately. "People fall down all the time and they don't all die. Please, Mom? I don't want to go to the hospital."

Ezra was feeling completely useless in the crowd. He was just as worried about Aria as her mother was, except he couldn't show it. Damn this stupid forbidden relationship. If he was any normal boyfriend of Aria's, he would be there at her side, too. Instead, he had to hide amongst a crowd of curious spectators. And none of them knew that he loved Aria so much that it hurt, physically hurt him, to see her sitting there, pale and sick, and not be able to rush to her side and hold her. He put his hands in his jacket pocket, and remembered the carton of fruit juice he'd stashed there earlier in case he wanted something cold to drink during the evening. These functions only ever served tea and coffee. Once, when he'd been feeling faint and dizzy at school, a teacher had given him some fruit juice, and it had helped immediately. He stepped forward and knelt down next to Aria.

"Drink this," he said quietly, looking Aria in the eyes as he spoke, trying to convey the depth of feeling he felt but could not display. "It'll make you feel better."

Aria took the juice from him, her eyes never leaving his face. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Thank you, Mr Fitz," Ella said. "That's thoughtful of you."

_As if I was just any old stranger in the crowd._

"I feel so much better now," Aria insisted, after a few deep sips of the juice. "I probably just had low blood sugar. Please, Mom? Can we just go home now?"

"I don't know," Ella said, wavering. "We really should get you checked out…" she looked at Ezra, who was still kneeling down next to her, as if looking for support, and he gave it eagerly. After all, he was also worried about Aria.

"You should listen to your mother, Aria," he said. "You really could have hurt yourself without realizing it. Better safe than sorry, right?"

The look Aria flashed him startled him – so much desperation and fear behind her eyes.

"NO," she said, through gritted teeth. "I can't go."

"Well, you're going, and that's that," Ella said firmly, as if she had suddenly made up her mind as a result of Ezra's support. "Mr Fitz, would you mind helping me get Aria to the car?"

"Of course." Ezra got to his feet and then bent down to help Aria to hers. As he lifted her, her head was very close to his, and he heard her whisper softly, "I can't go to the hospital. PLEASE. Trust me."

Then her mother was there on the other side, and the crowd was dissipating as they helped Aria walk down the corridor. Ezra's head was swimming. What did Aria mean? Why was she so desperate not to go to the hospital? What was she keeping from him? And what was he supposed to do about it, anyway?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 One More Secret

As Ezra, one arm around Aria, helped her to her mother's car, he kept trying to steal glances at her face, as if to glean what she was trying to tell him. As if it would somehow be written on her face. And she kept looking up at him too. There was definitely something she needed to tell him, he could see it in her eyes. But with her mother there right on her other side, fussing like a mother hen over a baby chick, he could hardly ask and she could hardly tell. And here they were at Ella's car, and still he knew nothing. All he knew was that Aria needed his help NOT going to the hospital, and he had no idea how to give it. He was just supposed to be her teacher, after all. He had no reason to be more than mildly concerned about her wellbeing. As far as Mrs Montgomery, or anyone, knew.

"Mom, this is stupid," Aria said as they reached the car. "First of all, I could have walked here just fine by myself, and secondly, I really don't want to go and sit in a waiting room half the night and be poked and prodded by doctors who'll just say I should get some rest and take an aspirin. I feel fine now, really. Mr Fitz," she turned her expressive brown eyes on Ezra, "tell her. She's worrying too much. Don't I look fine?"

"She does seem okay, Mrs Montgomery," Ezra said, trying to sound convincing. "Maybe you should just take her home and let her sleep it off. See how she is in the morning."

"Wow. I hope you don't give in this easily in class," Ella said, with a short laugh.

"What?"

"I mean, of _course_ she doesn't want to go to the hospital," Ella said, opening the back door for Aria. "Here, you can lie down on the way if you want to, honey. But the point is," she turned back to Ezra, "that we're the adults, and we have to do what's best for the kids we're responsible for. Which in this case, is NOT listening to them when they say they're fine, but being safe and getting things checked out."

"Um, I guess you're right," Ezra said blankly. Aria shot him an angry look, and he shrugged. Then, seeing Ella hunting in her purse for something, he mouthed _'What do you want me to do?' _at her. Aria looked at him in despair, and shook her head miserably. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this one. And – aside from not wanting her Mom to find out about the baby - more than anything she wanted Ezra to be there by her side. If she had to go to the hospital, and she clearly did, she wanted him to come. Except there was no way he could, of course. What sixteen-year-old girl would want her English teacher to accompany her to the hospital after she'd just fainted like an idiot in front of everyone? But somehow she was going to have to tell the doctor that she was pregnant without her Mom being there, and she needed some support from someone who wouldn't judge her. Like the father of her baby. Except… he didn't know that yet. And when, exactly, was she going to tell him? Like it or not, he couldn't come with them. She was going to have to go through this alone.

"Mom? What are you doing?' Aria asked, seeing Ella still hunting in her purse.

"Looking for my phone so I can call your father," Ella said absently.

"You don't have to call him," Aria said sulkily. Her head was still aching, she was going to have to tell a doctor she was pregnant and ask him not to tell her mother, and the father of her baby was standing not two feet away from her, unable to do or say anything to help her. The last thing she needed was her parents standing bickering around her. The tension between them radiated off them like a heatwave, and Aria felt like she couldn't bear it, not on this night of all nights.

"Of course I'm calling him. He's your father. I'd want to know if I were him," Ella said, the phone to her ear. She paused and took a few steps away, and Aria, who was sitting on the edge of the back seat, her legs still out the car, leaned forward to Ezra.

"Ezra, I have to tell you something," she began in a fierce whisper.

"No reply," Ella's voice interrupted, her tone not betraying anything, but Aria knew what she was thinking. _Maybe he's screwing that blonde bimbo again…_

"Let's go." Ella said firmly. I'll call him again once we're at the hospital. "Feet in, Aria."

Aria, with a look of desperation at Ezra, did as she was told.

"Er – is there anything else I can do?" Ezra asked, helplessly. What did Aria want to tell him? What was so important that she'd been about to risk saying it in front of her mother?

"Oh, no, it's fine," Ella said. "I can handle it from here. You've been so wonderful tonight, thank you."

Deflated, Ezra nodded. Of course he couldn't go. He'd find out how Aria was tomorrow, just like everyone else. _Everyone else who wasn't in love with her._

He turned back to the car to say goodbye. "Well, Aria, I'm sure – Aria!"

"What is it?" Ella pushed him out of the way. Aria had slumped over in the seat, her eyes closed, and Ezra felt like someone had kicked him in the guts. She wasn't okay. She wasn't.

"Aria! Wake up!" Ella cried, almost shaking her daughter, but Aria remained limp and still. Ezra made a decision.

"Give me your keys," he said to Ella. "You stay back there with her. I'll drive you to the hospital."

"No…the car's not insured for other drivers," Ella protested. "I can do it."

She got out the back and took the keys from him. Under normal circumstances Ezra would have argued the point and insisted on driving, but he was too worried about Aria to care.

"I'll sit in the back with her, then," was all he said, and he climbed in, carefully putting his arm around Aria's still-unconscious form, and lowering her to the seat so she could lie flat. She was so tiny she could fit full-length on the seat, and as Ezra propped her feet up against the opposite door, he was overwhelmed at how small and delicate she seemed. She was so feisty and confident normally, that he didn't notice how…well, fragile she was. Her hands and wrists were tiny, and her skin was like porcelain. He could see the faint blue outlines of her veins on her neck and chest which he'd never noticed before, probably because she'd never been this pale. Even though he had seen her entirely naked. _No. Don't think about that now._

"Is she okay?" Ella demanded as she screeched to a stop at the traffic lights just outside the school.

"Still unconscious, but her pulse feels okay, so far as I can make out," Ezra replied, his hand around Aria's wrist. He clasped her tiny hand in his warm, larger one. Ella wouldn't be able to see it from the front seat. "At least it's not far to the hospital, right?"

"Just a few minutes. If only these damn traffic lights could would just be bloody green for us," Ella snapped impatiently. She kept glancing back in the rearview mirror. "Why isn't she waking up? Why?"

"I don't know," Ezra said, stroking Aria's hair, then holding his hand still as Ella looked back again. He doubted she'd be able to see anything in the mirror, but still, he couldn't afford not to be careful. He was already dangerously close to losing it. His girlfriend, the girl –woman – he loved, was lying unconscious in his lap, and he couldn't even display any emotion. He desperately wanted to cry, or to kiss her in the hope that, in fairytale fashion, she would wake up. Instead, all he could do was display platonic teacherly concern for an ill student. And it was killing him.

"We're here," Ella said, screeching to a halt. "God dammit, there's no bloody parking! Where-"

"You park. I'll carry her in so long, and find someone to help," Ezra said quietly. "I'd park it for you, but I don't think you'd be able to carry her."

"No. Okay, you take her in and find someone to help her. I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hurry!"

Ezra opened the door and slid out from under Aria's head. Then he put his hand under her shoulders and drew her out until he could get his left arm under her knees. He lifted her up, and then pushed the door closed with his body. Ella roared off in the car, and Ezra carried the young girl who meant so much to him inside the hospital.

"I need a doctor!" he called, and a nurse hurried over, beckoning to a colleague to come too.

"What happened? Was she in an accident?"

"No, she just fainted. Then she seemed fine, but then she fainted again, and we couldn't get her to wake up," Ezra said hurriedly, barely pausing between the words. The second nurse arrived with a wheelchair, and indicated to Ezra to put Aria in it, which he did. She moaned slightly.

"And you're her….?" The nurse asked Ezra.

"Um, friend. Teacher,really. Her Mom's just parking the car. I said I'd carry her in, because her Mom couldn't, but her Mom will be here now." Ezra was aware he was rambling. And saying "Mom" too much. Because _she_ had a right to be there, and he was nobody. "Aria?" He bent down as she moaned again, and then opened her eyes. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

"I have to tell you something," Aria whispered again. Ezra glanced up at the nurse, who was watching them.

"Are you getting a doctor for her?" he snapped.

"Nurse Bevan is paging Dr Wilder already," she replied.

"Then maybe you should go and see what's taking so long!" he snapped again, and the nurse seemed to take the hint and went over to the desk to join her colleague.

"What is it, Aria?" he said softly, kneeling down so his face was close to hers.

"I'm sorry, Ezra."

"For what, silly?" he smiled, assuming she was referring to the fainting.

"For not telling you before."

"What-"

"Ezra," she interrupted, still whispering, "don't let my Mom go into the doctor with me. I don't want her to find out like this."

"Aria?" they could hear Ella's voice calling a few yards behind them.

"Find out what?" Ezra whispered urgently. Aria's eyes were filling with tears, and it was scaring him.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

Ezra felt as though he'd fallen backwards. Everything around him suddenly seemed to be happening behind a haze of roaring white noise; there was Ella, running up to the wheelchair, saying something to Aria; the two nurses reappearing with forms and clipboards, all surrounding her, blocking her from his view, then suddenly wheeling her off around a corner, and just as suddenly, Ezra found himself standing alone in the near-silent hospital lobby, the soft buzzing of the neon lights the only sound he could hear above the echoing words in his head.

"I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant…."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the nurses wheeled her away, Aria tried to look back at Ezra, but she couldn't see him. All she'd been able to register was a look of blank shock on his face before her Mom had arrived and blocked him from her view. And now she was being wheeled down all these corridors and Ezra wasn't there, and she'd just left him with those words: "I'm pregnant". Definitely not the way she had planned on telling him, but she'd had to get him to stay; to help her out, to be on her side, somehow. But now she was here, surrounded by nurses and her mother, and he was somewhere else. In shock. She wouldn't blame him if he'd made a run for it. She'd wanted to run away from it too. She'd stood there in her bathroom, with five pregnancy tests showing positive, and all she could think about was getting them out the house; not because she was afraid of someone discovering them, but because then she could pretend they didn't exist. That IT didn't exist. The week between the day she had wrapped up those tests, run down the street and thrown them in the garbage bin on the corner, and the day she had told Hanna, Emily and Spencer that she might be pregnant was the longest week she'd ever suffered through. And it had been three weeks since then. She'd had a month to become acclimatized to the fact that she was carrying a baby; that she was actually going to give birth to a whole new human being. And she still couldn't wrap her mind around it. Poor Ezra, standing there, alone and in shock in the lobby, must be going out of his mind. Maybe she should have waited to tell him. But then, when would she have been able to do it?

"I'll tell the doctor you're here," Aria heard the nurse say, and she realized that they had stopped outside a door. She looked up at her mother, who was looking down at her, her face drawn and pale with worry.

"I'm okay, Mom. Really," Aria said, smiling on purpose to make Ella feel better, even though she didn't feel like it. She was convinced she was fine, after all. That first faint at the school had really just been the result of the fear she'd felt, combined with the fact that she'd run faster than she'd ever thought possible, and that she hadn't eaten anything that day. Anyway, she was pregnant. Pregnant women often got dizzy, didn't they? And the second faint, it – well, hadn't been exactly real. She'd done what she had to do to make sure Ezra came with them to the hospital. Sure, she'd felt fairly light-headed, but not enough to actually pass out, but faking it had been enough to get Ezra in the car with her. She felt bad for the extra worry she'd caused both him and her Mom, but since they were coming to the hospital in any case-

"You can go in now." The nurse was back, holding the door open for them. Ella started to push Aria in, but her daughter stopped her.

"Mom? Can I just go in by myself, please?"

"Why?" Ella asked, surprised and hurt.

"It'll just be…easier," Aria said desperately. "He's going to ask me all sorts of personal stuff, and it'll be kind of, well, embarrassing. I just think it'll go easier and faster if I talk to him alone."

"Oh. Well, all right, then," Ella said, baffled, and still looking hurt. "But if you – I mean, I'll be right outside if you want me."

"Thanks, Mom. Please don't feel bad. It's just me…I feel kind of stupid."

"It's okay, honey. But make sure to tell him everything," Ella replied.

"I will," Aria said, as the nurse wheeled her in and closed the door behind her. _Especially the everything you don't know,_ she added silently.

Inside, she found herself face to face with a grey-haired doctor, maybe in his late forties or early fifties, with a pleasant face and a kind smile. The nurse helped her onto the examining bed and then left, and the doctor pulled up a chair beside Aria. She smiled nervously.

"I'm Dr Abelman, Aria. So," he said conversationally, "you wanted your mom to wait outside, eh?

"Yes," Aria replied, not sure why he was mentioning this. "I just thought it'd be easier."

"Easier for you to tell me whatever it is you don't want her to know?" the doctor queried.

Wow. This guy was good. Aria wasn't sure what to say, so she just nodded.

Dr Abelman leaned back in his chair. "In my experience, when young girls your age – sixteen, right? – come in and ask their parents to wait outside, it can only mean one of two things. Drugs, or a baby. I don't see any symptoms of the former, so if I had to guess, I'd go with the baby. Am I right?"

"Yes," Aria whispered. God, was it that obvious? How many other people could have guessed it already? As if in answer to this, the doctor smiled. "I wouldn't worry. Most people are rather oblivious to this kind of thing. I just happen to be an exceptionally good guesser. So," he leaned forward again, "do you _know _you're pregnant? Or is it more of a "I think I maybe could be" situation?"

"No. I've been to a gynaecologist," Aria said, quietly, but with more confidence now. This doctor didn't seem to be judging her, thank goodness. "I'm eight weeks along."

"Okay. And tonight you fainted, and your mom got scared and brought you in here."

"Yes. But – I didn't eat anything today, and I'd been running, and I just got light-headed because of that, I'm sure. At least," she amended, "I think so."

"Could be, could be," the doctor, said, scribbling notes. "Have you fainted or felt dizzy recently?"

"No – well, once, when I first thought I might be – pregnant, I felt really light-headed and I had to sit down with my head between my legs. But I didn't actually _faint_. That's why I assumed this was just because I hadn't eaten and I over-exerted myself."

"Have you been eating properly? How's your morning sickness been?" Dr Abelman asked.

"Not great, but from what I've read, it could definitely be worse," Aria admitted. "Mostly it's been hitting me around lunchtime, which is why I didn't eat anything today. A lot of the time it's just feeling like I'm going to hurl, and then not actually."

"Have you vomited or felt nauseous since you fainted?"

"No."

"And your gynaecologist? Is he or she at this hospital?"

"No! I mean, my family comes here," Aria explained, "so a friend got me an appointment at a place across town – a private practice. Her name's Dr Gallman."

The doctor nodded, making a note of this. "I'll give her a call tomorrow to let her know about this. In the meantime, let's take your blood pressure."

He did so, and then nodded as he let the air out. "A little low, but that's consistent with what you've told me, and nothing to worry about at this point," he said. He picked up what looked like a little torch. "Follow this with your eyes, without moving your head," he instructed. Aria did so, and he nodded. He did a few more basic things, including listening to her heartbeat and checking her reflexes, and then picked up his clipboard again. "All right. What I do want to do now is run some blood tests. This could be something as simple as an iron deficiency; very common in pregnant women, and not uncommon in girls your age, anyway. That seems the most likely to me. And it's something you can tell your mother about. We'll check for other possible problems at the same time. "

Aria sighed. "Thank you – for not making me tell my mother, and for being so nice about it," she said suddenly. "I know you must see tons of stupid pregnant teenage girls in here –"

"But it's not for me to judge them," Dr Abelman replied. He smiled kindly at Aria. "You seem like a nice, intelligent girl. Things happen to all of us, things we didn't mean to happen, or want or expect. You just have to deal with it. My job is to make sure you're okay, so that you can do just that. All right?"

Aria nodded. "Do you think – I mean, can we check if the baby is all right? I'm sure it must be; I don't think I fell that hard, although I did hit my head. And my mother was worried I might have concussion, or something."

Dr Abelman shook his head. "You don't appear to have any of the symptoms, though I am going to ask you to stay in bed for the next few days to be sure," he said. "Also – and I'm going to tell your mother to look out for this too – if you have any more dizziness, or headaches, or you have trouble remembering anything or find yourself having trouble saying words, then you must come back in immediately for a scan. But since we don't recommend them for pregnant women, I'd rather make sure there is something to check, first. In my medical opinion, though you're going to be just fine."

"And the baby?' Aria found herself nearly whispering, as she always did when she used the word "baby".

"That's a more difficult question," the doctor said. "We could do an ultrasound, but the thing is, it would need to be done in the neo-natal unit, which means you would have to tell your mother. And it would show up on your bill as well."

Aria felt panicked. "I can't tell her! Not now, not like this. I need more time," she pleaded. "Isn't there another way?"

The doctor shook his head. "My advice would be just to keep a close eye on things. Any cramping, any bleeding, anything that feels out of the ordinary – come straight in, or rather, go to your OBGYN. The truth is, Aria," he continued, "that at an early stage like eight weeks there's not really anything we could do, anyway. If you were to miscarry, there's nothing that can really be done to prevent it. Bedrest is really the best and only thing you can do right now – both for yourself and your baby."

"My baby," Aria whispered. It sounded so odd. She had only ever called it "THE baby". Never "MY baby". She suddenly remembered about Ezra. He must still be waiting outside somewhere. She had to speak to him before he left.

"So – what now?" she asked. "I just go home and go to bed and hope for the best?"

"We still have to run those tests," the doctor reminded her. "I tell you what. It's getting quite late now; perhaps it would be best if we kept you here overnight. That way you can lie down comfortably somewhere while we do the tests, and we can keep an eye on you and the baby during the night. That better?" He looked at her kindly. The overnight stay wasn't really necessary, but he couldn't help feeling sorry for this tiny girl, with her big, expressive eyes. There was something about her; she wasn't like the usual scared teenagers he got in here. Sure, she was scared, but there was a confidence, an assuredness about her as well. She seemed older than her years.

Aria's eyes lit up at his suggestion. "Can I do that?" You won't mind?" she asked, and Dr Abelman laughed outright as he got up.

"You're not going to be sleeping on my sofa, you know. You're a patient."

"And you won't – do anything that will let my mother know about the baby?" Aria asked.

"Of course not. That's up to you. I'll just tell her that there's nothing to worry about, but we're keeping you overnight for observation, and to run some tests. Don't worry, Aria," he said, picking up the phone. "Everything will be fine."

He put a quick call through to organize about admitting Aria. "You stay there on the bed while I speak to your mom," he said, once he was done. He went out through the door, which he pulled partially closed behind him, and Aria could hear him speaking to her mother, though not what was being said. She craned her neck to see if she could see Ezra, but she couldn't really see anything through the tiny gap. She sighed and leaned back. She had to speak to him now, tonight.

The door opened and Ella came in, "Oh, Aria! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Mom, really. I'm just staying for observation, but the doctor is sure I don't have a concussion or anything."

"I know, but…" Ella looked worried and unsure.

"Mom, relax. They're just going to run some tests to see if I have an iron deficiency or something as well. That's no big deal."

"Dr Abelman said that was probably why you fainted," Ella agreed. "He seems nice." Then, as Aria nodded, "Listen, honey, I have to go fill in your admission forms at reception. Apparently they're going to take you through to your room while I do that, and I'll pop through to see where you are and make sure you're all right. Then they're going to kick me out." She smiled for the first time that evening. She turned to leave, and Aria realized this was her opportunity.

"Mom! Is Mr Fitz still out there?"

"Oh – yes he is, actually. He's such a nice man," Ella said. "He carried you in and everything, and he seems so concerned about you. He wouldn't leave till he heard you were okay."

"Well…could you ask him to come in here? I just want to thank him for – for being so nice, and helping you," Aria explained, as innocently as she could, even though she was sure she was blushing. Ella didn't seem to notice, though.

"Of course. I'll send him in now, while I go get started on all the forms. See you in a little bit, Aria."

"Bye, Mom," Aria replied. She breathed in slowly. This was it. The moment she'd been putting off for weeks. Well, the moment _after _the moment. She'd already told him she was pregnant. And then left him standing there for ages. He must be thrilled with her for that.

The door opened and Ezra walked in, closing it behind him. He stood there for a second.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Aria replied.

" I've been out there for nearly an hour, with two words going through my head, and nothing else _but _those two words," he said, in a quiet but neutral tone of voice. "So if you could just tell me it's not true, or something you thought could be true but isn't, or something you said out of fear….that would really be good," he said desperately.

Aria shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Ezra," she said. "I wish I could have told you differently. But it's true. I'm pregnant."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading. I've received only the best comments, and it's really keeping me going writing this!**

**I just wanted to explain some stuff from Chapter 9. I pretty much made up most of the medical stuff, so apologies if it's wrong. I'm sure it is, but I wrote this after midnight (as I do all my chapters; it's when I write and think best) and I wasn't about to try find someone who knew if I was talking crap. Also, I don't know what the laws are regarding a doctor having to tell a parent if their underage child is pregnant. Here, AFAIK, you don't have to, and I remembered seeing it on a US show once where the doctor didn't tell the parents either. So I went with that…sorry if it's not the law in Pennsylvania! *ahem* artistic license…**

**Here's Chapter 10!**

CHAPTER 10

Aria and Ezra stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Ezra exhaled, slowly, and nodded.

"Okay," he said, quietly.

Aria raised her eyebrows. She was sixteen years old and pregnant by her teacher. "Okay" was not exactly the word she would have used to describe the situation.

Ezra walked over and sat down in the chair beside the bed. "So, what happens now?"

Aria couldn't read him. He was as calm as though she'd just told him she was having a manicure done, for goodness' sakes! Aside from that one moment of denial when he walked in, he was acting very strangely for a man who had impregnated his student girlfriend. Where was the freaking out?

"What happens now, at least in my head, is that you run away screaming – at least until you've had time to figure this out," Aria said, with a half-smile. "But you don't seem to be doing that."

"No. Well, I have had the last hour to digest this…news," Ezra replied, slowly.

"Really? Because when you walked in here, it sounded like you didn't believe me. That you thought I'd made it up, or something."

"And I'm sorry about that," Ezra said. "I know you would never lie about a thing like this. But I was kind of – no, completely – freaked out, Aria. I didn't mean to sound like I didn't trust you…but I had to ask if you were SURE. Have you say it again, to convince me I hadn't imagined it. Because this…this is you telling me you're _pregnant_. Jesus Christ, Aria. The only reason I haven't completely flipped out is because I can't actually entirely wrap my mind around it. It's…I don't know what to say." He brushed his hair back with his hand, feeling suddenly sweaty.

"I know. That's how I felt when I found out as well," Aria said, taking his other hand and holding it in hers.

"How long have you known?"

"Three weeks, for certain. I went to a gynae, and she confirmed it."

"Three weeks! Why the hell didn't you tell me before now?" Ezra jumped up, angrily.

"Because I was scared! I didn't know how to tell you. I was going to, I promise-"

"Really." Ezra made it sound more like a statement than a question. Clearly he didn't believe her.

"Yes! I was. I just had to figure out HOW. I wanted to tell you tonight, but you had the stupid conference, so I was going to tell you when I came over tomorrow night," Aria said, desperately. "Please believe me, Ezra. I wasn't going to keep this from you. I just had to sort this out in my own head first."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Ezra held up his hands. "I believe you. Look," he sat down again, and took her hand, "what _do_ we do now?"

He used the word "we", Aria thought, and she suddenly felt like breaking down and crying. She hadn't been able to admit to herself how afraid she was that he would leave her alone to deal with this…problem. With their baby. Not just HER baby. Their baby.

"I want you to tell me what you want to do, Aria," Ezra continued. "This is both of our problem, and we got into this together. But I know how it works, in real life. It's the girl who is pregnant, the girl who gets gossiped about, who has to tell everybody…it's harder for her than for the…father." He paused, contemplating the enormity of that word, father. "So if you're not ready, or you don't think you can handle all that, or just handle being pregnant; well, I'll support you, in whatever you decide. It's your-"

"Ezra," Aria cut him off. "I'm not going to have an abortion. I've already decided that."

Ezra exhaled. "Okay. So that leaves us with what? You'll have the baby. And then?"

"Keep it or give it away," Aria replied. "And don't ask me which, because I don't know. All I know is, I'll have to tell my parents at some point, and then they're going to try and talk me into doing whatever THEY want me to do. So I want to decide before I even tell them, which is why I'm waiting as long as possible to say anything."

"Okay." It was all Ezra seemed capable of saying.

"But I want you to decide, too," Aria turned her big brown eyes on him. "I need you to help me. Ezra…I don't know what to do!" She suddenly broke down to the long-threatening tears she'd been holding back all night, and sobbed.

Ezra put his arms around her, as well as he could, and drew her to him. "Sssh. It'll be okay." "He stroked her hair and held her as tightly as he could. "We'll work it out, I promise. I'm here for you." He continued to hold her close and murmur soothing words, while at the same time the enormity of it was hitting him. Aria was going to have a baby. His baby. He was going to be a father. Even if they gave the baby up for adoption, he would still have a child out there. And if they didn't –

The door opened and the nurse came in, stopping short as she saw Aria crying in Ezra's arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she began.

Aria pulled away from Ezra and started rubbing her eyes on her sleeve.

"It's okay," Ezra said, getting up. "She's just completely exhausted and she feels sick and upset. Are you going take her to her room now?"

"Yes, it's all ready now. Aria," the nurse turned to her, "can you get back into your wheelchair? I'll wheel you down to your room; it's not far."

"Can I come?" Ezra asked.

The nurse looked at him doubtfully. "Are you family?"

"Oh, no! I'm – just a…friend. But if her mother's still filling in the admission forms – and I know how long those take – I'd like to stay with Aria till she comes. Just so she's not alone."

"Well, all right. Come along, then."

Aria had got off the bed into her wheelchair, for the first time that night not protesting that she could walk. What with the emotion of finally telling Ezra about the baby, and the scare she'd had at the school, coupled with the fainting spell, she really did feel completely ill now. It was actually a relief to be staying in the hospital, instead of going home.

The nurse wheeled her along in silence, with Ezra walking behind, also in silence. Once they were in the room the nurse pointedly closed the curtains while she helped Aria change into a hospital gown, and then opened them so Ezra could join them.

Aria sank down into the crisp cold sheets with relief. The bed was hard and narrow, but she didn't care. She just wanted to go to sleep and wake up feeling better.

"I'm going to take some blood now so we can run those tests," the nurse said. "Excuse me a moment."

"Aria," Ezra said, leaning over her and tenderly stroking her hair, "I'm going to have to go in a second. But I just want to get some things straight. You told your doctor that you're pregnant, right?"

"Yes."

"And he's not going to tell your parents?"

"He said he wouldn't. Patient-doctor confidentiality," Aria replied.

"So, who else knows? Just me?"

"No. I told my friends – you know, Spencer, Hanna and Emily."

Ezra bit his lip. "And you think…it's safe with them? Wait – do they know about us? Or just that you're pregnant?"

"I told them everything. I had to, Ezra. I was so scared, and I didn't know what to do. It was Emily who organized for me to go to her mom's gynaecologist."

"How long have they known?"

"About three weeks. We had it – the pregnancy – confirmed on the same day."

"Wow. I had no idea they knew. At the very least I'd have expected some…weird looks from them, or _something_. But nothing. Those friends of yours certainly can keep a secret."

_You have no idea_, Aria thought. But that reminded her.

"Ezra – do you know what happened to my purse?"

"Your mom has it, I think," he replied. "We definitely took it from the school to the car with you, so it's safe in there if your Mom didn't bring it in. Why?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure it was safe," Aria replied distractedly. She had to destroy that awful picture A had drawn before her Mom went through her bag and found it. But she couldn't tell Ezra about that. "Also, I wanted my phone. I need to text Emily and the others to tell them where I am, and that I won't be coming to school tomorrow."

"I'll tell them. You need your rest now; you can do without your phone for one night." Ezra glanced around, but he could hear nothing, and the curtains were closed around them. He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "It's going to be all right, Aria. I – I promise you that."

_And I love you,_ he wanted to say, but couldn't. This was neither the time nor the place.

Aria looked up at him, and for a second he could swear she was thinking the same thing. Then they heard footsteps, followed by the curtains being pulled aside to reveal the nurse and Ella, who was presumably finished filling in her forms.

"Hey, you! How are you feeling?" she asked brightly.

"A little yucky," Aria admitted. "Mom – thanks for taking such good care of me tonight."

"Of course, honey. What are mothers for?" Ella replied, pleased nonetheless. Then, as she stepped into the cubicle properly, she spotted Ezra for the first time.

"Oh, Mr Fitz! Are you still here?" She sounded surprised, and a little guilty, as though she was keeping him there against his will.

"Oh – yes. I was just keeping Aria company until you came back," he explained.

"Well, that's very nice of you. But I'm sure you must have something you need to be doing? I feel like we've kept you here far too long – not that we don't appreciate it," she added hastily. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for Aria tonight, truly. Your students are lucky to have you. Right, Aria?"

"Uhuh," Aria murmured, incredibly embarrassed at her mother gushing all over Ezra like this. She wouldn't be quite so pleased with him if she knew he'd got her 16 year old daughter pregnant. Which is why she was never going to find out. Aria kept her eyes closed and pretended to be falling asleep.

"I should go," Ezra agreed. "Good night, Mrs Montgomery. Aria, I hope you feel better and I'll see you on Monday in school?"

"Thanks, Mr Fitz," Aria replied. It was all she could say, Ezra knew, but he also knew what she meant, and what she was thanking him for. He smiled at her, and then glanced across at the nurse, who was organizing some test tubes and syringes. "Take good care of her."

He nodded once more, and left, walking swiftly down the corridors, trying not to think of anything but walking. He couldn't. It was too much for him right now. It wasn't until he walked out the front door, and the cold air hit him in the face, that he realized he'd left his car back at the school and he had no way of getting home except to call a cab. And while he stood there waiting, he realized that his entire future had just changed in one evening. His life would never be the same again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long wait, readers! I had a crazy week and then I got flu…yay. Anyway, enjoy chapter 11!**

CHAPTER 11

The bell rang as Emily slipped into her seat in English class, and she noticed that Aria's seat was empty. She looked across the room at Hanna.

"Where's Aria?" she called. Mr Fitz hadn't called them to order yet; he was busily hunting in his desk for something.

Hanna shrugged. "No idea. I haven't seen her at all today. And I sent her a text last night and she never replied."

"That's weird. I hope everything's –"

"Ok, quiet, everybody!" Mr Fitz said, clapping his hands for silence. "Pop quiz today, so I hope you all prepared the chapter I told you to read yesterday."

Under cover of the groans from the class, Spencer turned around and nodded at Emily and Hanna. "check your phones," she mouthed. They were supposed to have their phones on silent during school. Emily and Hanna whipped theirs out, to see a message from Spencer: "Mr F looks tired. U think Arias ok?"

"I dunno, I hope so," Emily mouthed back at Spencer.

"No more talking, Emily," said Ezra as he placed the quiz on her desk. Emily looked up and tried to catch his eye, but he was already walking away. She sighed and settled down to the quiz. Hopefully Aria was all right. Aria and the baby…

"Time's up!" Ezra called, what seemed like three hours later to the girls. "Hand your papers to me as you leave. Hanna, Emily, Spencer – can you stay behind for a minute? I need to talk to you."

The three exchanged glances, immediately fearing the worst. They filed up to the front desk and stood there in silence. _Something must have happened to Aria_, they were all thinking as they looked at each other. Ezra closed the door and walked back over to them.

"Is Aria okay?" Hanna suddenly burst out, unable to wait for Mr Fitz to speak. Ezra smiled briefly, relaxing his tired, worried expression for a moment.

"Yes, she's fine. She was in the hospital last night, but she's going to be all right."

"In the hospital! What happened?" Spencer demanded.

"She was at the parent-teacher conference last night and she fainted. Twice. Her mother and I took her to the hospital. I called them right before class and they said she's fine; it was just a combination of low blood sugar and stress. And she's slightly anaemic. But she was getting ready to go home when I called, so she should be there now. She asked me to tell you three, though, since we didn't have her phone at the hospital and she couldn't call you – not that I think her mother would have let her, anyway."

The three exchanged glances again. What they really needed to know was if the baby was all right, but they couldn't just ask that, in case Aria hadn't told Ezra yet. After all, she was only supposed to be telling him tonight. And Mrs Montgomery – did she know? Surely the doctors would have checked if the baby was okay? But how would they have done that without at least telling Aria's mother?

Ezra looked quickly at the door, as if to check no one was waiting or about to come in, and then said in a lowered voice, "Aria told me about the baby. And yes, it's fine. They did an ultrasound last night."

"So…Aria told you last night?" Emily asked.

"Yes."

"Did she tell her Mom?" Hanna demanded.

"No. She told the doctor in confidence, then she told me while her Mom was out of the room. Look, you three," Ezra said, "Aria told me you know about…us. Believe me, I'm not proud of myself for letting things go this far. But I do care about her, a lot, and I'm going to be there for her as best I can. But no one can ever know, all right? Not about our relationship, and certainly not about the baby. Aria said you would keep the secret. Can I count on that?"

The three exchanged glances again. Then Spencer spoke. "Look, Mr Fitz, I'm sure you're a nice guy, and you're a good teacher. And I know you mean well. But this…Aria getting pregnant...it was kind of irresponsible –"

"I know that! Christ, do you think I don't know that?" Ezra snapped. "I hate myself for what I've done; for pretty much ruining her life. I'm the one who's supposed to be responsible here. And I let my feelings carry me away. Trust me, Spencer, I will blame myself every day for this, for the rest of my life."

"Well, good," Spencer said, abruptly. "And we _will_ keep your secret. But we're keeping it for Aria, because she's our friend and that's what friends do for each other. So you don't need to worry, Mr Fitz. We'll keep it for Aria."

Aria turned over in bed. As soon as they had got home her Mom had insisted she try to get some sleep, but she couldn't. She honestly felt fine now. All that was wrong with her was a tiny iron deficiency, for goodness' sakes. Her Mom wouldn't even let her have her phone so she could tell Emily and the others that she was all right. Apparently she "needed her rest". For crying out loud, her Mom didn't even know she was pregnant!

"Imagine all the restrictions she'll put on me THEN," Aria muttered. Which is why she had decided not to tell her parents until she absolutely had to…in other words, until she couldn't hide the baby bump from them anymore. And even then, she was determined to hide it as long as possible from everyone else. Baggy clothing could go a long way.

Aria decided to get up and go downstairs. Her mother couldn't kill her for not being tired, after all.

She pulled on her robe, and opened her door.

"Aria? Are you all right?" Ella appeared in the doorway. Aria pulled a face. Great. Her mother HAD to be walking by just as she tried to make her escape.

"Mom, I'm fine! I feel totally 100%," Aria insisted. "I just felt like some fruit juice, that's all."

'Oh! Well, get back into bed and I'll bring you some," Ella began, but her daughter cut her off.

"I'm sick of bed, okay? I can't sleep anymore. It's not going to kill me to come down and drink some juice, is it?"

"No, well, I guess not," Ella conceded. "I just can't help worrying about you. You gave us quite a scare last night."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But – that reminds me. Can I have my purse back now?"

"Well, I suppose so, since you're up," Ella said grudgingly. She left the room and returned with Aria's little black bag. "There you go. I suppose you've been dying of cellphone withdrawal!"

"Something like that," Aria replied. "I'll come down in a few minutes, Mom. I just want to check my messages."

Ella rolled her eyes, "Okay, hon." She closed the door behind her, and Aria unzipped her purse and pulled out her phone and wallet. Then she dumped them on the bed and went back to digging in the purse. She pulled everything out, from lipgloss to nailfiles, unzipped both inside compartments, and even pulled the lining inside out. But it was no use.

The drawing A had left in her locker was gone.

She quickly picked up her phone. Text from Hanna, another text from Hanna, and one from….

She clicked open the message.

_Oh dear, Aria. Lost something? You'd better be careful. Anything can fall into the wrong hands in this town… -A._


	12. Chapter 12

"Mom!" Aria called, running downstairs two at a time. "Mom!"

Ella appeared at the kitchen door. "You took your time. I thought you were so thirsty. Is something wrong?" she added, noticing her daughter's distressed face.

"Did you go take anything out of my bag?" Aria demanded.

"Of course not. I didn't even open it. Why, is something missing?"

"No – well, yes, but I mean, nothing important. Not money or anything. It's just this piece of paper – some homework notes – that I had in there, but now it's gone."

Ella shrugged. "Maybe you put it somewhere else? Slipped it inside a book, perhaps?"

"No! I know I put it in there!"Aria insisted. "I don't suppose – I mean, what happened to my bag when I fainted? Do you think someone else could have taken it?"

"Oh, honestly, Aria! No one would take a piece of paper with some homework notes on it! You must have lost it, that's all."

Aria looked at her mother in frustration. There was no way she could explain to her just how important it was that no one ever see that drawing, of course. And there was no way she could ask any more about who had been near her bag when she fainted without explaining how important that piece of paper had been. But A had obviously been there last night. First the laughter, and then the theft of the drawing from right under everyone's noses – it was obviously all a big game to A. Whoever she – or he – was, they didn't NEED the drawing. They could have made another one just as easily, and let Aria burn the original. But that wasn't A's style. Stealing it back from Aria without anyone noticing was A's way of letting her know who was in charge of the game. A was controlling the strings; she was the puppeteer.

"Can I go out later?" Aria asked suddenly.

"Oh no, I don't think that's a good idea…" Ella began.

"Oh, come ON, Mom! I'm fine. I have to see the others and let them see I'm okay, anyway. And get the weekend assignments from them. I never miss school; they must be kind of flipping out."

"Oh, all right," Ella said, suddenly remembering what it was like to be a teenager, when everything was endlessly over-dramatized, and a little thing like not going out when everyone else was, became the end of the world. "But after school, not tonight. I want you back here for supper, so I can make sure you're eating properly."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Sure , Mom."

She got up and went back up to her room, pulled out her phone, and proceeded to text Emily, Spencer and Hanna to meet her at The Grill at 5pm. That would give her an hour before she had to be home. Between then and now, she had to go and see Ezra. She quickly sent him a text as well. "Need to talk. Your place after school? A"

She grimaced at the fact that she had to sign herself "A", but she and Ezra had agreed that they wouldn't ever name themselves in their texts to each other, in case their phones ever fell into the wrong hands. So he was merely listed as "E" in her contacts, and she as "A" in his. It was safer that way.

Aria was nervous as she arrived at Ezra's apartment. Last night at the hospital seemed eons away; and she had been so emotional and tired and overwhelmed that she wasn't even sure what she'd told him. Well, she'd told him she was pregnant, and that was the main thing. At least he knew now. Now they just had to decide how they were going to deal with it.

Ezra was nervous, too. He'd barely been able to concentrate on any of his classes that morning; a combination of tiredness (he'd barely slept at all the night before) and distraction. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about…IT. The baby. His baby. Aria being pregnant. Aria coming to school with a big, swollen belly. Aria carrying a baby wrapped in blankets. And him not being able to go near it. Having to pretend it wasn't his. Aria giving it up without him ever having seen it. Living with that for the rest of his life. It was a horrible thought that played over and over in his head all morning, like a stuck record.

Aria knocked, and Ezra opened the door almost immediately. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, then Ezra stepped back to let her in.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"So…how are you feeling?" Ezra said. Great, small talk.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aria replied. "It really was nothing. I'm sorry I scared you." _Oh, great. Look at us, talking like polite strangers at a bus stop. Instead of the parents of a baby I'm carrying. One that was conceived right here in this room._ She glanced over at the sofa, where her naked body had entwined with his…

"Do you want to sit down?" she heard Ezra say. She shook herself back to reality.

"Oh – yes. Thanks." She sat down, and Ezra took the seat opposite her.

"We should-"

"Ezra, I'm –" they both spoke at the same time, and then laughed. It broke the ice a bit, and Aria gestured at Ezra. "You first."

"Okay. Except...Aria, I have no idea where to begin. I was up all night with questions and ideas and fears and "what ifs" running through my head, and I feel like I've been hit by a ten ton truck. And I keep getting that damn stupid song "Having my Baby" stuck in my head, and it's driving me crazy. Because if only –"

"If only what?" Aria asked, as Ezra stopped.

"I only it were that simple! You, me, together, having a baby. Like a normal couple. Being able to tell people, and have them be happy and excited. Instead of you being a sixteen-year-old sophomore and me being a statutory rapist."

"Don't SAY that," Aria said, angrily.

"It's the truth!" Ezra snapped back. Then, seeing the hurt on Aria's face, he got up and came and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. "Look, that's not how I feel. Of course it isn't. What happened between us was beautiful and special and wonderful, and out of that we've created a – a new life. It's actually pretty amazing. But it's also going to be the most difficult thing either of us has ever faced. So we need to figure out how to handle it."

Aria nodded, fighting back her emotions. Now wasn't the time to get all weepy and dissolve into Ezra's arms. They had to discuss this issue like adults.

"Okay," she said. "Well, firstly, I'm not going to tell my parents until I have to. That is, until I pretty much can't hide it anymore."

"Wait, are you sure that's a good idea?" Ezra asked. "Won't they be even more upset with you the longer you leave it? _"Hi, Mom, Dad; I'm having a baby next month, sorry I didn't tell you for the last eight"_ doesn't sound like it'll go down too well."

"Well, no," Aria admitted, "but it can't be THAT much worse than telling them now, and if I DO tell them now they won't let me out of their sight until the baby's born, and that means I'm pretty much grounded till July."

"July? Is that when you're due?"

Aria nodded. "Yep. The end of July. I'm kind of hoping I can finish the school year normally…that is, if my parents don't send me away to some convent for unwed mothers, or something stupid."

Ezra felt his heart constrict. "They wouldn't do that, would they? How…horrible."

Aria shrugged. "Probably not. I don't know, maybe they won't want the scandal. I honestly have no idea what they might do, Ezra. That's why I want to keep it from them as long as possible."

"But you don't think they'll – I don't know – get angry and kick you out, or something?"

Aria's eyes widened. "My parents? I don't think so. More likely they'll get so over-protective that they won't let me out of bed until I've given birth. Oh, they'll be angry, of course. Majorly pissed, is how I'd put it. But they wouldn't kick me out of the house or anything crazy like that."

"Okay. So. You're due in July. So you're…how far along, now?"

"Eight weeks."

"And is there any – I mean, can you feel anything yet?"

Aria laughed. "No, nothing. If it wasn't for the morning sickness I wouldn't even know I was pregnant. And even that hasn't been too bad."

Ezra stared at her. This amazing, beautiful girl – woman – that he cared so much about, that he LOVED, had been going through all this by herself. Being sick, and confused, and scared, pregnant and alone – it must have been awful. He put his arms around her suddenly and drew her close to him, holding her so tightly Aria felt like she could barely breathe.

"Oh, Aria," he muttered into her hair, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What for?" Aria whispered. Ezra loosened his grip so he could draw back and face her.

"I'm sorry that you've been going through all this alone. And I'm sorry I got you into this position in the first place."

Aria shook her head. "It was both of us, Ezra. I wanted to just as much as you did. And we used protection; we did everything right. Sometimes things just…happen."

"Well, however it happened, I'm not letting you go through this alone anymore," Ezra said firmly. "I'm going to make sure you eat right and do everything you're supposed to, and all that stuff. And – and I want to come to your doctor's appointments with you. Is that all right?"

A single tear escaped from Aria's right eye and rolled down her cheek, and Ezra brushed it away with his thumb.

"I would love that, Ezra," she said quietly. And just as quietly, Ezra leaned in and kissed her. And it felt new, and different. Because they had a new bond now. Their baby.

"Ezra," Aria said as Ezra drew away and leaned back on the sofa, though still holding both her hands in his, "the thing is, once I tell my parents, you won't be able to do that – come to appointments, I mean – or even see me that often. Like I said, I'll probably be pretty much grounded, and it's not like you can come visit like any old friend. And obviously I'm not going to tell them you're the father-"

"Who _are _you going to say the father is, then?" Ezra demanded. This was something that had been worrying him. But Aria had thought this bit out.

"I'm going to say I don't know," she replied. "No, wait! Let me finish. I'll say I hooked up with some guy I didn't know at a party, that I had too much to drink, and that things went too far, and I was stupid, yada yada. And bam, I'm pregnant, but no one knows who the father is. Plain and simple."

Ezra frowned. "That doesn't sound like you at all. Are you sure your parents will buy that?"

"Well, what else can I tell them? I can't tell them it's anyone else I know, and I obviously can't tell them it's _you_, so I'm just going to have to make it convincing that I don't _know_ who it is. Trust me. I can make them believe it."

Ezra shook his head. "I'm so sorry this all has to happen to you," he said. "All this lying, and having to tell your parents and them being angry at you, and facing people at school – and I won't be able to do a thing about it because no one knows I'm involved at all. It just doesn't seem fair."

Aria shrugged. "Life isn't fair," she said, in the tone of one who has completely accepted this fact. "If it was, Ali would still be alive, there wouldn't be a killer running loose out there, and we wouldn't have to hide things from everyone all the time. It's just the way things are."

"Maybe we _don't_ have to lie, and hide everything," Ezra said suddenly. "Maybe this would be easier if I just told the truth, admitted I'm the father, instead of sneaking around and-"

"Are you crazy? You'd be sent to jail!" Aria gasped in horror. "You'd lose your job, your license, there'd probably be a court case or something, and on top of that, my Dad would kill you with his bare hands. You're not saying A WORD. Promise me that, Ezra!"

"But if I just –"

"Promise me!"

"Okay, okay, I promise," Ezra said, suddenly feeling like smiling. The conversation was deadly serious, but Aria looked so cute with her green eyes flashing and her cheeks tinged with pink, her tiny fists clenching his wrists, as if they could physically stop him from doing anything. He was overwhelmed with his feelings for her, and he leaned forward and kissed her again, but this time passionately and hungrily. His fingers tangled themselves in her hair as he pulled her closer to him, and Aria kissed him back, feeling suddenly free from the burden she'd been carrying around for the past month. Just for this moment, they were Ezra and Aria, lovers; and not Ezra and Aria, parents-to-be.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Ten weeks later, Aria stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room and stared at her body. At eighteen weeks, she was nearly halfway through her pregnancy, and there was no hiding from that fact anymore; not physically, anyway. Because she was naturally small and slim, Aria hadn't picked up much weight aside from the baby bump itself – which was little, but most definitely there – and luckily because of the nature of her wardrobe – loose dresses, tights and jackets – she'd been able to conceal the bump from everyone. Also, it was winter now, and bundling up warmly did wonders for hiding one's body. Except, while everyone else bitched and moaned about how much winter fat they were picking up, and how they'd have to work out six times a day when spring came around in order to get back their bikini bodies, Aria kept quiet. When spring started, she'd be _huge_. That was the cut-off point for her: once one single person noticed her bump, it would be around the town before you could say "teenage baby scandal", and she had to tell her parents before then. She knew she should have told them already. But they seemed to have settled down these last few months; come to some sort of understanding about their relationship. At least, no one had moved out, and her Dad was back in their bedroom instead of on the sofa in his study. Aria didn't want to rock the boat, and mess up the new-found serenity that seemed to have settled over her family. And she was scared, too. No matter how much Ezra and her friends told her that she had to break the news to her family soon, she kept putting it off. And all the excuses she made were starting to sound just like the flimsy covers they were for the real truth: that she was afraid. It was so much easier in her cocoon of safety, where the only people who knew about the baby were people who supported her and loved her.

Except that wasn't quite true. There was still A to be dealt with. After the drawing had disappeared from her purse, A had seemingly vanished for three weeks or so. No more notes, no more texts, not for Aria or any of the quartet. Then, one Wednesday afternoon, Aria had gone to the doctor for her 12-week scan, and Ezra, as he had promised, came with her.

"I'm completely nervous," Aria admitted to Ezra as they sat side by side in the gynaecologist's waiting room.

"_You're_ nervous? You've already had one of these," Ezra protested. "This is my first. I may be presenting a face of stoic calm to the untrained eye, but inside, I'm a shivering mass of nerves, just waiting to explode."

Aria laughed. "Well, last time I didn't really see anything. This time I'm hoping it actually LOOKs like something."

"Preferably a baby," Ezra replied, smiling.

"Preferably that," Aria agreed. "Ezra – is it weird that I'm really excited about seeing it? Seeing the baby, I mean, on a screen. "

"Of course it's not weird," Ezra said.

"It's going to be one of those 4D ones so we can even see what he – she – it – looks like," Aria babbled on. "We're going to see what our baby looks like, Ezra! I can't even wrap my head around it. A little person, a bit of you, a bit of me…"

Ezra glanced at Aria quickly. After she had first broken the news of her pregnancy to Ezra, Aria had spoken a lot about how the most sensible thing to do would be to give the baby up for adoption. Ezra had agreed, partly because she was right; and partly because, although it was his baby too, Aria was bearing the brunt of it. She was the one who would have to explain herself over and over again: to her parents, her schoolmates, her teachers, even to total strangers. The least he could do was let her make this decision about their baby's future, and support her in it. But recently she'd stopped mentioning it. And she'd started talking more and more about "our baby" and what he or she would be like, and doing things like playing classical music to the baby "so that it grows up with a love for music", and talking to her belly all the time. She was getting attached to the baby; and of course, that was what expectant mothers were supposed to do. But it was going to make it so much harder for her to give away the baby when the time came, and the thought of how Aria's heart would break when she had to make that decision was killing Ezra.

"Hello? Ezra? Anyone at home?"

Ezra roused himself. "Oh – sorry, Aria. I was just thinking…about the baby, too."

Aria squeezed his hand. "Thanks for coming with me here, by the way. It means a lot to me."

"Of course," Ezra replied. "I told you, I'm not letting you go through this on your own – well, not the bits I can help with, anyway. But remember, we're not supposed to be together."

"Oh, right," Aria replied, taking her hand away. They'd discussed this earlier. Once Mrs Montgomery knew about the baby, she would probably insist on coming to all the appointments from then on. And Aria didn't want the doctor or a nurse or someone to conveniently mention Ezra's presence at the previous appointments to her mother. So they had decided that Ezra was going to be "just a friend", not the father, who was accompanying Aria to her appointments, and he would be introduced as Spencer. After all, Spencer was more common as a boy's name than a girl's, anyway, and then if anyone mentioned her friend Spencer who had come to the doctor's with her, Mrs Montgomery would just assume they meant Spencer Hastings. And therefore there'd be no questions about strange male friends she'd never heard of accompanying her daughter to her ultrasounds.

"Miss Montgomery? You can go in now."

Aria rose, wanting desperately to take Ezra's hand, but resisting the urge. She felt like every eye in the room was on her, and she felt so young and unprepared. But she took a deep breath and followed the receptionist through to a room at the end of the corridor, where she had seen Dr Bader before.

"It's ok," she heard Ezra whisper right behind her, and she felt better.

Dr Bader was a pleasant-looking woman in her mid-thirties, with blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail, and friendly blue eyes, and she greeted Aria with a smile.

"Aria! It's great to see you again. And this is…?" she held out her hand to Ezra.

"This is my friend, Spencer," Aria said hurriedly.

"I'm not the father," Ezra said, saying the first thing that came into his head. Dr Bader raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, okay, then," she said briskly. "Aria, why don't you go into the exam room and change into the blue gown behind the door. Give us a call when you're ready."

Aria got up and then looked back at Ezra. "Seriously?" she mouthed, though Ezra could see she was trying not to laugh. It had been a pretty stupid thing to blurt out like that. Ezra was sure his face was still bright red.

"So, you're not the father, huh?" Dr Bader said as Aria closed the other door behind her.

"Uh…no," Ezra said, feeling stupid. "Just a friend…here for support and stuff."

"Right. Well, that's good. Aria is going through a lot of changes, both emotionally and physically, and she'll need every bit of support she can get from her friends – and her family." She looked pointedly at Ezra, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, that's why I'm here," he said. Why did this doctor seem like she _knew _something?

"I'm ready," Aria called, opening the door of the exam room.

She got onto the reclining bed and lay back as Dr Bader and Ezra entered the room. Ezra came over and stood next to her and she smiled nervously up at him. Dr Bader was asking her questions, and she answered them mechanically, all the time staring at the screen on which the picture of her baby was about to appear. She didn't even notice the gel Dr Bader squirted on her stomach with the warning that it would be cold. At twelve weeks, her stomach was just beginning to be slightly swollen and rounded, not enough to be too noticeable, but so different from the flat abdomen Aria had always had before. Ezra couldn't take his eyes off it. By unspoken agreement, he and Aria had not been intimate since…well, actually since the baby had been conceived. Since she had broken the news to him, they had kissed but nothing more. Mostly they had just lain there together, holding each other, just feeling close and secure. Ezra knew instinctively that was what Aria needed. So this was the first time he'd seen the physical evidence of their baby, and it overwhelmed him, partly with fear, and partly with love.

He still hadn't told her he loved her.

"There you go," Dr Bader said, and Ezra looked up and saw the wiggly and weird orange shapes on the screen, which, as Dr Bader started pointing them out, suddenly took shape in his eyes as a baby. Their baby. He looked down at Aria, and a tear splashed on her cheek; not her own, but his.

Both Ezra and Aria left the doctor's rooms in a bit of a daze. Outside the sun was shining brightly, cars were rushing by, and they could hear children playing in the park across the road, but the sounds seemed muffled to them both. Ezra likened it to the kind of tunnel hearing you get when you're overtired. Aria felt like she was in that dozing state of half-asleep, half-awake, and the sounds she could hear could either be products of her own dreamlike state, or real noises pervading her sleep, but she didn't know which. Either way, they both approached Ezra's car in silence, too full of what had just happened to be able to do something as mundane as speak.

The shrill beeping of Aria's phone broke the silence as she got into the car, and she fumbled in her bag and pulled it out. One new text message:

_Aria: don't get too happy. Teachers who screw schoolgirls find themselves in jail. Especially when there's evidence._

"Something wrong?" Ezra asked as he got into the driver's seat, and seeing Aria staring in consternation at her phone.

Aria chucked the phone in her bag. "Nothing," she said firmly. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed…and tired. Can we go back to your place now?"

Six weeks later, as Aria stood in her room inspecting her eighteen weeks pregnant body, turning this way and that, trying to figure out how much longer she could hide it, she received another text, the first since that appointment.

_Just because I've been quiet, doesn't mean I can't talk. And when I do, I'll spill everything.-A_

Aria groaned and flopped down on the bed. Maybe A was bluffing. She hadn't done anything yet, despite having had ample opportunity for months. And if it hadn't been for the letter A had sent, disclosing the details of her husband's affair to Ella, Aria would have believed the whole thing nothing more than a scare tactic. But A had shown she could play dirty. Aria would have to tell her parents now, at least about being pregnant. She didn't them to find out from some horrible anonymous letter. The fact that Ezra was the father…well, if A ever spilled THAT secret, Aria would just have to find a way out of it. Lie, lie, and lie. Deny, deny, deny. But she certainly wasn't about to tell about Ezra until she was forced to – wait, scrap that. She wasn't going to tell, EVER. And if A told, then she wasn't going to admit it. Simple as that.

Aria got up and went downstairs to find her mother. Her Dad wasn't home, and telling Ella first, alone, might be easier, anyway. She found her in the kitchen, cutting something out of a magazine – a recipe or a coupon or something. Aria took a deep breath. This was it.

"Mom? I need to talk to you."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ella looked up from her magazine. "Oh, hey honey, what's up? You look very pretty today," she added. "I like that dress; it suits you."

_Good, because I'm going to be wearing it for the next five months, since it's one of the only ones that has room to spare now, _Aria thought. Aloud, she merely said, "Oh, um, thanks. Listen, I really need to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Of course. Is everything okay?" Ella asked, concerned. "You look very serious."

"That's because it is serious. I mean, I'm okay, there's nothing _wrong_…okay, there kind of is, but if you'll just let me explain, it won't seem so bad-"

"Aria, you're starting to scare me," Ella said, getting up and coming over to her daughter's side of the kitchen counter. Aria instinctively drew away, something she had been doing ever since she started to show; she was terrified of someone touching her or hugging her, and being able to feel the bump. So far her mother hadn't noticed, but now she looked at Aria with concern.

"Honey, what is it? What's happened?" she asked, starting to get nervous. Aria looked so small and defenseless standing there, her eyes wide and scared. Had someone hurt her or something?

"Nothing's _happened_, Mom. I mean, it has, but you don't need to be scared or anything," Aria tried to explain. "Look, this is really hard for me to tell you, so I'm just going to have to say it. Only, please let me explain before you get…"

"Before I get what?"

"Before you get upset, or mad at me, okay?"

"Aria, what on earth have you done?" Ella demanded. Aria opened her mouth to speak, but as she did so there came the sound of the front door slamming, and her father calling, "Ella! Ella, where are you?"

_Oh, great. Dad in a bad mood; all I need right now_, Aria thought gloomily. _Now I won't be able to tell her anything._

Byron Montgomery entered the kitchen. "Ella, I need to-" His eyes fell on Aria. "Oh. You're here," he said, in an oddly flat and emotionless tone.

Aria couldn't figure out if he was displeased or just surprised. "Um, I can go, if you want to –" she began, sliding off her chair. This didn't seem like a good time to be breaking her news to anyone.

"No, sit!" Byron snapped, and Aria, startled, obeyed. It wasn't like her father to talk to her that way. What on earth had happened?

Ella, clearly wondering the same thing, spoke. "Byron, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"Not really, actually." He glanced at Aria, and then turned back to his wife. You remember that anonymous letter you got…the one that told you about me and – and Meredith?"

"I'm hardly likely to forget THAT," Ella retorted drily. "What about it?"

"I got something similar in my intray at work this afternoon," Byron replied, and Aria gasped. No, no, she couldn't have! Had A told her father? Is that why he was looking like he was?

Byron glanced over at his daughter again. "I see you know something about this, Aria," he said, withdrawing a folded piece of paper from his briefcase, and holding it up in front of her.

"No! I don't know who's sending them, or where they come from, or why!" she cried.

"I didn't suppose you did. But I'm guessing you do have an idea what it says."

"For pity's sake, what the hell DOES it say?" demanded Ella, grabbing the piece of paper and unfolding it.

"Mom, wait, I can explain!" Aria cried out, but it was too late. Ella was already reading it. And staring at it. And reading it again.

"Mom…" Aria began to speak, and Ella put the note down on the table and pushed it over to her daughter.

Aria picked it up and turned it over. It was neatly typewritten.

YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY MONTGOMERY WHO CAN KEEP A SECRET. WHY DON'T YOU ASK YOUR DAUGHTER ABOUT THE ONE SHE'S BEEN CARRYING AROUND? LITERALLY CARRYING, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

"Care to explain?" Aria's father said in a tight, choked voice.

Aria inhaled deeply. Okay, so this wasn't how she'd planned it, but this was how she would have to break it to her parents. Thanks to A.

"I'm – I'm pregnant."

There was silence. A deafening silence, broken only by the sound of Byron sinking into a chair, as though he couldn't bear the weight of what he'd just heard. Ella remained where she was standing, frozen, staring at her daughter.

"What?" she said, as though she actually hadn't heard. Or hadn't wanted to.

"I'm preg-"

"She heard you!" Byron roared, and Aria shrank back. She had honestly never in her life seen her father this furious.

"Byron, calm down," Ella pleaded.

"Calm down? My sixteen year old daughter is knocked up and I find out through an anonymous letter, and you want me to _calm down_?"

"Yes, I do! I want you to calm the hell down and let Aria explain!" Ella snapped.

"Jesus Christ," he said in disbelief, sitting down again, and putting his face in his hands. Ella turned to Aria.

"Is this what you were about to tell me before?" she demanded.

Aria nodded. "Yes."

Ella shook her head. "I can't even… I don't…what the hell HAPPENED, Aria? How could you do this?"

"Mom, it was an accident, okay? This wasn't meant to happen!"

"Spoken like every teenage girl who ever got herself pregnant," Ella said bitterly. "But you should know better, Aria! You're not stupid; you KNOW how these things happen. I can't believe you would be so irresponsible!"

"But we used protection!" Aria said desperately.

"Things can still happen! Nothing is ever one hundred percent! That's why you shouldn't even be having sex in the first place! For God's sakes, Aria, you're only sixteen! How could you be so stupid?"

"It WAS stupid, I know that," Aria said, with tears in her eyes. "It was a stupid mistake and I've paid for it every second since!"

"Who is he?" her father suddenly asked in a low, angry voice.

"Who?" Aria said uncertainly.

"You know who! The boy who – who did this to you."

Aria closed her eyes and prepared to lie; the lie she would have to keep telling for the rest of her life.

"I don't know."

There was a shocked pause. Then…

"You don't KNOW?" came the cry of rage from her father. "What the hell do you mean, you don't know?"

"Byron, wait!" Ella shouted, for he was leaning over Aria so threateningly that she had dissolved into sobs. She pushed him out of the way. "Aria, why don't you know? Did he – did he force you?" she asked, suddenly scared.

_Funny, that's almost the same thing the girls asked me when I told them,_ Aria thought dully through her tears. Aloud, she said, "No. He didn't force me. I just don't know who he is."

"I don't understand," Ella said, confused.

"It was at a party, okay? I was upset, and I had too much to drink, and I was talking to this guy I didn't know, and – and – it just happened." Aria cringed inwardly. It sounded so awful when she put it like that. But what was the alternative? Actually, I had sex with my English teacher one afternoon on his sofa after school? Yeah, not so much.

Her father looked at her in disbelief. "You had sex with someone you didn't even know." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Aria whispered.

"Well. I knew my daughter was many things, but I didn't know she was a slut."

"Dad! I'm not!" Aria gasped, stung.

"Oh, really? Going to a party and screwing some random guy whose name you don't even know – that's what we called a slut in my day!" Byron shouted.

"I know it sounds terrible. But I was upset, I drank too much! I've never done anything like that before, I promise you!"

"I don't know how we're supposed to believe you when you've been keeping this from us," her father retorted.

"The same way we were supposed to believe _you _when you said you'd never cheated before," Aria retorted angrily.

"Don't you dare bring that up!"

"Why not? You think you're the only one who's allowed to make mistakes? At least my mistake isn't hurting anyone!"

"You think this isn't hurting us, Aria?" Ella asked, laying a hand on her husband's arm to calm him down so she could speak. "You think we're not hurt – and disappointed?"

"I _know_ you are," Aria replied. "Look, I'm sorry I brought up the...the thing. It's a different situation. The point is, I made a mistake and now I'm going to have a baby. And if I could have done that without you knowing, so I didn't have to disappoint you, I would have! But I didn't know how!"

"Don't ever say that again," Ella said, in a tight voice.

"What?"

"That you would even think of not telling us something like this. We're your _parents_, Aria. And no matter how terrible it is, or how upset we are, how hurt or disappointed, you have to know you can always tell us - whatever it is. Isn't that right, Byron?"

Aria's father had slumped over the table again. When he looked up, Aria was struck by how…_old _he looked, suddenly. Old and tired and worried and hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy," she whispered, reverting to the name she hadn't called him in years.

"Oh, Aria." Byron got up and drew her towards him, and Aria, scared and upset and overwhelmed, let him pull her close. He stiffened, and then stepped back.

"Um, Aria? How far along are you?"

Shit. There was still this part to get through. "Just over four months," she admitted.

"Four months?" Ella gasped. "Are you already showing?"

"A bit."

"Why on earth didn't you tell us before now? You must have known for – how long _have_ you known?" she demanded.

"Um, two months or so," Aria said, rounding it down. "And I didn't tell you because…I don't know! I didn't know how to, and I was scared! All right?"

Ella's maternal instincts defeated her anger. "Oh, my poor girl. I can't believe you've been going through this alone all this time." She went to hug Aria and then stopped, looking down at her daughter's stomach. "You've been hiding this under all your dresses and big jackets and things," she said. "And when you told me you had the stomach flu a few weeks ago because you kept throwing up…was that morning sickness?"

"Yes."

Ella shook her head. "We've been so wrapped up in our own problems we didn't even notice what was going on right in front of us…"

"Mom, no! No one noticed. People _don't_, if they're not expecting anything," Aria argued.

"Can I – can I see?" Ella asked, gesturing at Aria's belly.

"Oh. Um, sure." Aria was wearing thick black tights, so she lifted up her dress, exposing her round baby bump. It felt completely bizarre, standing there in the kitchen, showing it to her parents like that. Sure, Ezra and her friends had seen it quite a bit – Ezra was completely enamoured of it, in fact – but she kept expecting her parents – particularly her father – to start yelling and getting upset again. And if this wasn't a catalyst, she didn't know what was.

"Hey guys, what's going…on?" her brother Mike, having entered the house unheard, trailed off as he took in the scene before him. Aria quickly dropped her dress.

"What the hell?" he demanded, bewildered.

"Mike, your sister is…she's going to…" Ella trailed off, unable to end that sentence. She didn't have to.

"You're pregnant?" Mike gasped. Then, as his sister nodded, he continued, " What the fuck, Aria? You stupid, stupid bitch!"

Aria gasped, and so did her parents. "Michael! Apologize to your sister right now!" Byron ordered, shocked.

"No!" Mike shouted. "You know what's going to happen now, right? Every guy in school is going to have a field day with me! 'Hey, Montgomery, I knew that stuck up act your sister puts on was just for show. She's quite the slut, huh?' or 'Hey Mike, can you put in a good word for me? I always wanted to bang a pregnant chick'. Or –"

"That's enough!" Byron shouted. "Don't you dare speak like that in front of your mother and sister again."

"Fine." Mike laughed bitterly. "_She'll _hear enough of it at school, anyway." He pointed at Aria, who winced inwardly, knowing he was right. It was going to be horrible once people found out.

"I'm going over to Josh's," Mike said. "I can't be here right now."

He turned and ran out. Byron took a step forward, as if to go after him, but Ella stopped him.

"Leave him. Let him sort it out in his own way."

"Are you – do you want me to go away somewhere? For the rest of my pregnancy, I mean," Aria asked in a small voice. Mike had been so angry, and so hurt; she didn't want to go anywhere, but right now she would do anything to make it better for him. He'd been having such a hard time at school lately; this could tip him right over the edge.

Ella and Byron looked at each other. "Aria, this is a lot to take in right now," Ella said, slowly. "I think your father and I need to discuss this between us, alone. Could you go up to your room for now?"

Aria nodded and got up. At the door she stopped. "I really am sorry," she said. Then somehow she made it up the stairs and shut herself in her room before bursting into tears and crying her heart out on her bed.

It was over.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"I told my parents last night," Aria said breathlessly as Ezra opened his classroom door. Ezra's eyes widened and he glanced up and down the corridor to make sure no one was nearby, before quickly pulling Aria into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to tell them? And why now?"

"It – it just seemed like the right time," Aria said carefully; no way she was going to tell him about A's threatening texts and notes. "I was looking at myself in the mirror and I just realized I was going to struggle to hide it for much longer. I'm getting so _huge_."

"I think you look gorgeous," Ezra said affectionately, putting out his hand to touch her belly.

"You're sweet. But I'm still huge," Aria smiled.

"So? What happened? How did they take it?"

Aria grimaced. "Not well. They completely flipped out, but then after I'd explained things they calmed down a little. And then my stupid brother came in and totally tore into me."

"What? Why?" Ezra demanded, his protective instincts rising to the fore.

Aria shrugged. "Who knows. He's been kind of crazy lately. Now he seems to think me being pregnant is going to ruin HIS life somehow. Seems like all he does lately is get into fights, so there'll probably be a few over this as well, once the school gossip mill finds out."

"You think Mike's going to tell people?" Ezra asked.

"Actually, I don't think so. He seemed so – I mean, I've never seen him so angry about anything. He kind of scared me." Aria stopped suddenly, remembering the look in her brother's eye. "I don't think he wants anyone to know, so he's safe for now."

"So then what happened? With your parents, I mean?"

"Nothing. After the thing with my brother, they sent me to my room and told me they had to 'discuss things' between them. And then this morning, no one said a word. I got up, got breakfast, and my Mom was kind of looking at me weirdly, like she didn't really want me to come to school. But she didn't say anything, and neither did my Dad. So I just got up and left. I think they're still a bit shell shocked. But tonight's probably the night; I'll be interrogated and then grounded forever."

"In that case, do you want to come over to my place after school?" Ezra asked. "Since it might be the last chance you get for a while." He said the words lightly, but it was with a heavy heart that he realized that from today he wasn't going to be able to see too much of Aria. No more late-night movies curled up together on his sofa, no more reading stories to the baby, and certainly no more doctor's appointments. The short time he'd been able to be there as a father and a boyfriend was over now.

The bell for first period rang, and Ezra turned away from Aria. "You'd better get to your first class," he said, starting to wipe down the blackboard, and hoping she hadn't heard the choking catch in his voice.

"Well, I'll see you after school then?" Aria replied uncertainly, but Ezra merely nodded, his back still towards her, as the door opened and his class streamed in.

Aria left the room and joined her friends in the corridor.

"So, what did he say?" Spencer demanded. Aria shrugged.

"What _could_ he say? My parents had to find out sooner or later. I guess he's not exactly thrilled that they know now, because I won't be able to spend so much time at his house."

"I don't see why not, since they think you've been with _us_ all the times you've been with him," Hanna argued.

"Because, stupid, I'm going to be grounded till the turn of the century," Aria said, sighing. "This baby is going to have graduated college by the time they let me out the house. He or she – will be a lovely reminder for them never to let me near a guy again."

She slammed closed her locker and then looked up at the other three, who were all looking at her uncertainly.

"Okay, what? Do I have something on my face?" she demanded.

"It's just-" Emily began, and then stopped, looking at Spencer as if for reassurance.

"It sounds like you're thinking about keeping the baby," Spencer said carefully. "And we thought you had pretty much decided to give it up. So…"

"I am! I mean, it's the best thing to do," Aria protested. "What I said just now…I wasn't thinking. I can't keep it. Obviously I can't!"

"Ladies? Are you coming?" came a voice from the nearby doorway, where Mr Liebowitz, their history teacher, was standing, arms folded, tapping his foot. The four girls jumped guiltily. Had he overheard anything? They looked nervously at each other and then filed into her classroom in silence. As Emily sat down, Hanna leaned over to her and muttered, "I think Aria's protesting just a little TOO much, don't you?"

Ezra opened his door, smiling. "I bought brownies," was the first thing he said, knowing that Aria had been craving them lately. Her face lit up and she paused just for a second to kiss him, before she fairly ran over to the kitchen counter and began to open the box.

"Did you get more peanut butter?" she demanded.

"Of course. You finished the whole jar the other day, so I bought a super-sized one," Ezra replied, grinning, for Aria's food cravings had become somewhat interesting of late. He opened a cupboard and slid the huge jar over to her. Aria smiled ruefully.

"Sorry about that. I just couldn't get enough of it. And it's crazy because I don't usually eat it at all." She scooped a giant spoonful onto the brownie and took a huge bite. "Mmmm…oh, yes. That's good."

Ezra smiled, but said nothing. He found Aria completely adorable when she got excited about food like this.

"I guess that's one good thing about my parents knowing," Aria said, somewhat mystifyingly, as far as Ezra was concerned.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to ignore the dull ache he felt in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about Mr and Mrs Montgomery knowing Aria was pregnant. Because they would take her away from him, without them even knowing it. And he didn't know how he was going to bear it.

"Well, because now that they know, I can tell them when I get cravings, and I can eat peanut butter and things in front of them without them being suspicious," Aria explained.

"Oh. Okay."

Aria frowned. "Ezra, is something wrong?"

Ezra sighed. "Of course there is! Now that your parents know, we won't be able to spend any time together anymore. And that's my baby you're carrying, dammit! I WANT to be able to see you, I want to know every little thing you're going through, I want to go to the doctor with you-"

"I know! I know you do! You think I don't want all that too? But you knew it couldn't ever happen, Ezra! We both did! It's impossible! And I hate it, but there's nothing we can do about it!"

"I know, I know! It's just, I didn't bargain on-"

"Bargain on what?"

"On CARING so goddamn much!" Ezra shouted. "Dammit, Aria, I've gone and fallen in love with our baby, and I didn't mean to! Just like I didn't mean to fall-"

Ezra cut himself off. He still hadn't told Aria he loved her. Except, well, now he kind of had. But he'd stopped himself. And she'd KNOW what he was about to say.

Aria was staring at him. "Say it," she said softly.

"What?" said Ezra, though he knew perfectly well what. His gaze didn't leave hers.

"What you were about to say."

This was it, then. Ezra took a step forward till he could place his hands on Aria's shoulders, his eyes still on hers. "I didn't mean to fall in love with you," he said quietly. "But I did. I love you, Aria."

Aria smiled. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long, only…I guess I was afraid I'd scare you off, or something. But…I love you too, Ezra."

She leaned up and kissed him, and the force with which he responded startled her. The passion behind his kiss – it was like the early days of their relationship, when she'd kissed him in his car in the rain: with so much against them, but so much hunger between them. Since her pregnancy, though, Ezra had been a lot gentler with her; their kisses had been sweet and loving, but not passionate, and certainly not…lustful. Which was what this was. And it was GOOD. Aria forgot that she had peanut butter on her fingers, and linked them behind Ezra's head, pulling him closer to her.

"Aria…" Ezra murmured, as he left her lips and began kissing her neck, down to her shoulder, and then pushed her dress off her shoulder as he kissed along it. Aria felt a thrill of desire run through her, just as it had the night they'd first made love.

"Make love to me, Ezra," she whispered into his hair, and he stopped kissing her neck and looked at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. Only, this time it'll have to be in your bed. I don't think we can both fit on the sofa anymore."

And Ezra smiled as he took her hand and led her through to the bedroom.


	16. Chapter 16

Aria closed the front door of her house softly behind her. It was a little later than she'd wanted to get home, but…well, it had been so amazing being with Ezra. And afterwards they'd lain there talking, and Aria hadn't even considered what time it was until she noticed the light in the room disappearing. Then she'd leapt out of bed and got dressed and rushed down to her car in four minutes flat – one of which had been spent kissing Ezra goodbye – and driven home like the wind. She hadn't told her mother she wouldn't be home straight after school, but then, she didn't normally come home right after school anyway. But today wasn't a normal day, and though they hadn't told her anything this morning, Aria guessed that her parents wouldn't be pleased at her arriving home at 6pm the very day after she'd told them she was pregnant. She took a step forward into the hall, trying to be quiet.

"Aria? Is that you?"

_Typical. My mother has ears like a lynx._

Ella came out into the hall and looked appraisingly at her daughter. "Dinner's almost ready," was all she said, however.

"Oh – great. I just want to have a quick shower; I feel kind of icky-" _or sweaty from all the sex I just had_ – "and then I'll be right down…"

"And then you can explain where you've been all this time," Ella said, abruptly turning back into the kitchen without giving Aria a chance to answer.

Great. So her mother was still pretty mad. And why shouldn't she be? She'd only had a day to digest the fact that her sixteen year-old daughter was going to have a baby in five months' time. Well, at least she didn't know that Aria had spent the afternoon sleeping with her English teacher, and she wasn't going to. Aria ran upstairs, got undressed and jumped into the shower, relishing the smell of Ezra that lingered on her body. She couldn't help smiling as she played over the events of that afternoon, even as she got out of the shower, rubbed her hair with a towel, and pulled on her pyjamas. Well, it wasn't like she was going anywhere else tonight. Might as well be comfy.

"Well, you look pretty pleased with yourself," her father commented as she walked into the kitchen ten minutes later. "Good afternoon, huh? Happy, carefree, not a problem in the world?"

"Byron, ssh," Ella said pointedly. "That's not helping. Aria, sit down while I dish up. We need to discuss things."

Aria sat down in silence. This was not going to be pleasant.

"Where's Mike?" she asked, as her mother handed over her plate.

"Staying over at Josh's again," Ella answered.

"So he's still pretty pissed." Aria poked gloomily at her chicken breasts with a fork.

"Probably, but we _asked_ him to stay there for tonight, so we could talk to you alone," Byron said.

Aria said nothing, and her parents exchanged glances over her head. Ella spoke first.

"All right, so we need to discuss what's going to happen from here on out. And there's a lot to think about. To be honest, I can't really get my head around everything this is going to entail."

"Me neither," Aria admitted.

"I called your principal this morning," Ella continued.

"You – WHAT? Why?" Aria gasped.

"Why do you think? I had to ask what the normal procedures were; if you were even allowed to stay in school in your condition-"

"My_ condition_? I'm pregnant; I don't have leprosy! No one's going to catch it from me!"

"Nevertheless, I had to find out if it was okay that you stay on until you have the baby, or if we had to…make other arrangements for you," Ella said, firmly.

Aria gave up. "And?"

"Apparently you can stay. They've done it before for other girls," Byron replied, reluctantly.

"I know. I could have told you that," Aria said sullenly. A thought struck her. "Did you WANT to take me out of school? Is that why you don't sound happy about this?"

"Happy? Why should we be happy?" Byron demanded coldly.

"Well, because…then things can just carry on as they were! You don't have to find somewhere for me to go, or get a tutor or homeschooler or whatever for me! Isn't it easier to keep things the same?"

"But things AREN'T the same; that's the point, Aria," Ella said. "You're pregnant. Things have to change."

"I don't see why," Aria argued.

"I'll tell you why. Because you've done something incredibly stupid and irresponsible, and clearly we've been giving you too much freedom and trusting you too much. Well, from now on, that's going to end," Byron said angrily. "You'll continue going to school, but you'll come home every day right after school. If you need to study or do a group assignment, your friends can come here. And you won't be going out in the evenings. Is that understood?"

"What, so I can never go anywhere but school ever again?" Aria gasped. She'd expected something like this, but to hear it coming out of her father's mouth in such firm, angry tones was something she hadn't anticipated. And she hadn't expected it to be so all-encompassing.

"Well, what did you expect? If you'd been caught drinking or doing drugs or at a nightclub or anything like that you know you'd be grounded, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"And you don't think having sex with someone you don't even know is just as irresponsible?

"Well, but-"

"And then getting pregnant? At the age of sixteen?"

"That was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen!" Aria cried, defensively.

"Which just goes to show that you can't be trusted to make good decisions," Byron said. "And so, until your mother and I think you _can _be trusted again; yes, you're grounded."

"But…" Aria had nothing to say. What could she say? Granted, her parents didn't know the true story, but the essence was the same: she'd had sex with someone she shouldn't have, and gotten pregnant. The fact that she DID, in fact, know who he was, and that they were in a relationship and loved each other, might have made things better… if Ezra hadn't been who he was. THAT, of course, made things ten times worse. Which is why her parents were never going to know.

"But what?" Byron demanded.

"It's just that…okay, I totally see where you guys are coming from. I screwed up, I know that. Biggest screw-up of my life, probably. But hello, this is a baby!" she indicated her stomach. "You don't think THIS is teaching me a lesson all by itself? That the stares and the gossip and the people pointing and whispering aren't going to be a punishment? And a reminder not to be so stupid ever again? Because, believe me, it's going to be _shit._ Mike was right about that. And then, in July, I'm going to have this baby, that will have been growing inside me for nine months, that I've been talking to and playing music to, and writing messages for, and I'm going to have to give it away! Just hand it over and say, "Bye-bye, baby, sorry I was too young and irresponsible to keep you, have a good life!" Do you know how horrible that's going to be? How it's going to destroy me? How I won't stop thinking about him or her for the rest of my life? And you think I'm not being punished?" Aria burst into tears.

Ella and Byron exchanged glances. Then Ella got up and put her arms around her daughter. "Oh, honey. Don't cry. I'm sorry if we seemed insensitive to what you're going through. It's just – well, it's a big deal for us, too. And we feel like if we'd been there more for you, especially over the last few months, you wouldn't have gone and done something like this. So we want you at home more, so we can, well –"

"Keep an eye on me?" Aria asked, forcing herself to stop crying, and rubbing her wet face with her palms.

"Well, yes. And another thing: you're responsible for another person now. And if something were to happen when you were out somewhere by yourself…"

"Mom, you can't lock me up at home just in case something happens to me or the baby,' Aria protested.

"I know, I know. But just for now, your father and I would like for you to come home after school and not go out, like we said. Maybe in a few weeks we can talk about changing that, but right now, we think it's necessary."

Aria sighed. "Fine, okay."

"The other big thing you've just brought up yourself: giving the baby up for adoption. Is that what you've decided to do?"

Aria felt the familiar pit of dread in her stomach, the one she always felt when the topic of giving away her baby came up. Of course she had to. Then she could get on with her life, finish high school, go to college, everything she'd always planned on doing. Giving the baby up should be a relief; her life wouldn't be ruined. So then why did it feel so awful?

She shrugged. "I guess. At least, it makes the most sense, right? I can't take care of a baby at my age. And there are so many couples out there who really want a baby, and who could give it so much more than I can. It's the best thing to do."

Ella looked closely at her daughter, and then decided to change the subject. Clearly the decision was really weighing on Aria, and she needed some time. So when Byron opened his mouth to speak, she nudged him to keep quiet, and then broached a new topic.

"Well, we can talk about that later. For now, what about doctor's visits and so on? Have you done anything about that?"

"Oh yes, I've gone three times now to see Dr Bader – she's Emily's gynaecologist – across town. She says everything's completely fine and normal, and the baby is perfectly healthy."

Ella was surprised. "I didn't realize you'd been so organized about it," she said. "How have you been paying for the visits and things, though?"

Aria hesitated. The first time, her friends had clubbed together and paid for her, and since she'd told Ezra, he'd been paying. But she did have some extra money she'd been saving…

"I used my savings," she lied, guiltily. She was so sick of lying to her parents about everything to do with this pregnancy, but it had to be done to protect Ezra. And herself, too.

"Oh, Aria!"

"Hey, just another way I'm paying for my own stupidity," Aria said, fake-nonchalantly.

"Well, we'll take care of that from now on," Ella said firmly. "What about the birth? Has your doctor – Bader, you said? – organized any of that? Hospitals, etc?

"No," Aria admitted. "I didn't know what to do so I thought I'd wait until – until you knew, and then you could…"

"Of course! I'll help you go through the options," Ella said, eagerly. Aria had been so distant this last year or two; the very least this baby calamity could do would be to provide some means of bringing the two of them closer together.

Aria nodded in relief. She had no idea what to do about birthing plans, hospital vs home birth, drugs or no drugs, or where one could even have a baby, and though Dr Bader could have helped her in all these things, it was actually a relief that her mother, someone who actually had given birth in Rosewood (albeit in the last decade), was now here to help her with it.

"I'd like to meet Dr Bader," Ella continued. "When is your next appointment?"

"Only in six weeks time," Aria replied. "At 24 weeks."

Byron shook his head. "So you're eighteen weeks now?" Then, as Aria nodded, "So you – I mean, all this happened around…when? October? November?

"Around then, yes," Aria admitted self-consciously. She hated the idea of her father picturing exactly how she'd gotten pregnant.

"That was right around the time you found out about Meredith," Byron said to Ella. "And we were fighting all the time, and I never stopped to think…Aria, is that why you went and got drunk at a party? And – and did something so stupid? Were you that upset by what was happening at home with us?"

Aria hesitated. She had, of course, been pretty freaked out by her parents' constant fights and threats to leave. But she hadn't gone out and got drunk because of it, because that wasn't how it had happened. Sure, she had been pretty upset when she went over to Ezra's apartment that day, and he had been comforting her, and one thing had led to another…but the truth was, she might have slept with him even if her parents hadn't been fighting or anything. She didn't know. She had wanted him so badly that day – just as she had earlier today – but whether that first time had been the result of her parents' problems, or just because she'd wanted him, she had no idea.

"I don't know," Aria said, eventually. "But don't blame yourself. Like you said, it was stupid and irresponsible, and I'm old enough to know better."

Byron was silent, though Aria could see that he hadn't let go of the idea that his actions might be to blame, and she didn't press the point. She didn't want to be grounded forever. Maybe if he blamed himself he'd go easier on her. And really, he deserved it. No one had punished _him_ for having sex with someone, like they were doing to her. And _he_ had broken his marriage vows. That was far worse, in Aria's opinion.

"Well, anyway," said Ella, changing the subject again, for the topic of her husband's infidelity still hurt her, of course, "I'm going to come with you to your next appointment, of course. And do you need anything else? New clothes, for instance?"

"Probably pretty soon," Aria admitted. "Some of mine are still okay, but I've had to stop wearing at least half my clothes. I'm not that big yet, though."

"No, small girls usually aren't," Ella agreed. "I didn't get particularly big with either you or Mike, now I come to think of it."

There was silence for a moment, and Aria turned her attention back to her barely-touched food. The conversation seemed to have ground to a halt in a rather awkward way, so it was a relief when Byron picked up his plate and got up to carry it over to the dishwasher.

"Well, I think that's all for now," he said, uncertainly. "I'd better go get some work done; and Aria, you can do your homework, since you were out all afternoon."

He left the room without making any further enquiries into what she had been doing that afternoon, and so, to Aria's relief, did Ella, once she had loaded the dishes and told Aria she could go.

Aria raced up to her room and closed the door, and quickly dialed Ezra on her phone. He answered after one ring.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Aria said in a low voice. Not that she thought her parents would eavesdrop, but better safe than sorry.

"Aria! How did it go? What did your parents say?"

Aria sighed. "I'm pretty much grounded till the baby comes, like I thought. But other than that, they weren't too bad. They're letting me stay on at school, so at least I'll be able to see you then. Because right now I'm not allowed out of the house except for school; not until they decide to give in a bit, anyway. And I don't know if that's going to happen, even."

"Oh, Aria, I'm sorry," Ezra said, quietly.

"I'm sorry too. I wish – I don't know – just that things were different, I guess."

"Me too. At least we had today."

"I'm going to hold onto that, when things get too difficult," Aria said. "I'd better go now. Goodnight, Ezra. I love you."

"I love you too, Aria," came his voice over the line, and Aria hung up. She lay down on her bed with those words in her head, and let them wash over her. However bad things got, he loved her. And that would have to be enough for now.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Aria! Come on!"

Aria came back to earth with a start. "Hmm, what, sorry?"

"I _said_," Ella repeated, with exaggerated patience, "that we should go inside and have you try some things on. It looks like they have some nice clothes in here."

Aria, who had been staring at the mannequin in the window, which was dressed in a cute black dress with a huge fake belly underneath, nodded. She needed some new clothes, and she was at the stage now where it had to be maternity clothes, not just baggy or oversized ones. But the thought of her baby bump being as big as that mannequin's fake one was appalling. How was she going to walk around at school like that?

"Aria! Stop staring at that dress. You can try it on inside, if you like it so much."

"I guess," Aria said, tearing her eyes away from the giant belly, and following her mother inside with mixed feelings. She was glad Ella had come to terms so well with the pregnancy, she really was, but it just felt so awkward going shopping for maternity wear with her mother. Aria wished she could have come with Hanna and the others instead. But Ella had seemed so keen on this little mother-daughter shopping spree - more like mother-daughter-grandchild, Aria thought wryly - that Aria hadn't had the heart to say no. She'd disappointed her mother enough lately.

"Well, this looks promising," Ella said brightly. Aria looked round. It was a biggish store that stocked not only maternity wear, but baby clothes as well, and also a largish selection of books and dvds on pregnancy and babycare. Aria turned away from the baby section. She didn't want to think about that; think about the fact that she was never going to have to shop in that section at all.

"Right, clothes," she said briskly, walking over and grabbing a long, flowing gypsy-type dress. "This is nice."

Ella surveyed it critically. "It doesn't look like there's much room to grow…"

"Well, hopefully I'm not going to get ginormous, so we won't have to worry about that!" Aria snapped. Then, seeing her mother's face, she sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I guess I'm just worried about getting really big. I mean, I know everyone's going to _know_, but I'd rather not flaunt it in their faces every time I step outside, if you know what I mean. I just want to keep my head down and carry on until summer without drawing any attention to myself."

"Well – yes, all right, I know what you mean," Ella said. "But I'd rather buy you clothes that will _last_ until summer. Look, let's speak to a sales person. They have those fake padded tummies you can use to try on clothes with, and that should make it easier."

"Mom, I don't want to-" Aria began, but her mother had already attracted the attention of one of the shopgirls, who came over, smiling.

"How can I help you, madam?" she asked.

"We need to buy some clothes, and I thought we should get one of those fake bellies you use to see how it'll fit later," Ella explained. The sales lady glanced down at Ella's stomach.

"Is it for you, Madam?"

"Oh, no, it's for my daughter," Ella explained, pulling Aria forward. The sales lady's smile froze, and her eyes flicked up and down Aria's body, taking in her bulging stomach, short dress, fishnet tights and knee high boots with distaste. All she said, however, was, "Certainly. I'll go and get a few sizes for you to try on."

"I want to get out of here," Aria said uncomfortably, as the woman walked away. They watched her stop next to one of her colleagues and murmur something in her ear, and they both turned around and stared at Aria. She felt the blood rush to her face.

"Let's get out of this horrible place," she urged. "I don't want all these smug bitches pointing and laughing at me. We can buy clothes somewhere else."

"But this is the biggest maternity store in Rosewood," Ella objected.

"Then we'll buy things at the little ones! I don't care if I have to cut the seams of my clothes and sew in big elastic pieces, I'm not shopping at this horrible place!"

"Aria, keep your voice down. People are staring." Ella said sternly. "Look, you said yourself that this wasn't going to be easy. You're sixteen, and you barely even look that old. People are going to stare, and they're going to comment. How are you going to handle it at school, if you can't even take a couple of looks from some stupid shop assistants?"

"But she was so horrible. The way she looked at me…it was like I'd just crawled out from under a dumpster, or something."

"Yes. And she loved it because people probably treat _her _like garbage all day. So are you going to crawl out of here, and go back under your dumpster, as far as she's concerned, or are you going to be friendly and polite and make her feel stupid?"

"Mom?"

"What?"

"You're the best." And Aria reached up and hugged her mother, as she hadn't done for quite some time.

"I know," Ella said, laughing, hugging her daughter back. Then, as they separated, "Oh look. Isn't that your English teacher Mr Fitz over there?"

"What?" Aria's stomach did a flip-flop. What on earth would Ezra be doing here?

"Yes, it is him, over there by the books. Come on."

"What? Where?" Aria gasped, horrified, as her mother took her hand and started to pull her over to the other side of the shop.

"We should go say hi to him, of course," Ella said impatiently.

"Mom, no! I don't want to go up to one of my teachers and say hello in a baby store," Aria said, desperately. She couldn't surprise Ezra like this. It would be the first time she'd seen him since they'd slept together two days before, and she knew how he looked at her – surely her mother would be able to tell there was something going on between them? And even if she couldn't, it would just be incredibly awkward for Ezra. Why was he even here? He must be getting something for her or the baby-

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm sure your principal has told all the staff – he said he was going to, when I spoke to him on the phone on Friday. And Mr Fitz was so nice that time we had to take you to hospital. It would be rude not to go and say hello."

"Wait, what? Principal Hoffman said he was going to tell everyone – the teachers, I mean – on Friday? Why?" Aria demanded, shocked. She hadn't realized that was how it would work. "So they all know already?"

"I guess so. Of course they had to be told, Aria! Some of them are going to have to make allowances for you now – you won't be able to do gym, or anything, for one – and anyway, isn't it better if the teachers know before the rest of the students do? Then if there's any…I don't know, talk or nastiness, they can put a stop to it immediately."

"Ugh. I'm beginning to wish you HAD sent me away to a convent until after the baby's born," Aria muttered. Every little thing today seemed to be highlighting how horrible everything was going to be until the summer holidays – and probably for the rest of her school life, too. But if she had gone away…well, there was Ezra. She wouldn't have been able to see him, touch him, hold him, and have him reassure her as no one else could how much he loved her and their baby. She needed him.

Oh, and look, there he was, still standing at the bookshelves, paging through something. If only he would just leave. Aria tried again.

"Please, Mom. It just feels too awkward. Can we just pretend he's not here?"

"Oh, all right, though I don't know why you're making such a big deal about it. I wonder what he's doing here, anyway?"

_THAT'S why I'm making such a big deal about it_, Aria thought to herself. She couldn't say it, of course. Aloud, she said, "Look, let's just go over here and pick out some more clothes while we wait for that woman to get back with the fake baby bumps – if she ever does. My guess is she's abandoned us-"

"Oh look, he's seen us!" Ella interrupted suddenly.

"What? Who?"

"Mr Fitz, of course! Come on, we can't ignore him now he's seen us!"

"But, Mom-" Aria protested in vain. Ella was already dragging her over to Ezra.

Ezra never knew what made him look up. He'd been engrossed in the pregnancy book he was reading, when suddenly he just felt like he had to look across the store – and there she was. The woman he loved, the mother of his child. And…her mother. Shit. And they'd seen him, too. And…they were coming over. Ezra took a deep breath. No cause for alarm, no cause for alarm.

"Mr Fitz! What a nice surprise!" Ella greeted him as they arrived at his side.

"Hello, Mrs Montgomery. Hi, Aria." He gave her a little fake wave, which felt incredibly forced and pathetic.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since the night we took Aria to hospital," Ella prattled on.

"Oh – fine. Same old, same old, you know?" Ezra replied quietly. He realized he was staring at Aria, and quickly refocused on Ella, who seemed not to have noticed. "And you?"

"We're all well. Just picking up some new clothes for Aria."

"Ah. Yes, right," Ezra said, uncertainly. "Er…good."

"And what brings you here?" Ella asked inquisitively, peering at the book he was holding. "_What to Expect When You're Expecting? _ Gosh, I remember reading that when I was pregnant with Aria!"

"Yes, it comes highly recommended," Ezra replied, locking eyes with Aria again. "I'm just…I was thinking about buying it for a friend. So he can take it with him when he goes back to Iraq, so he knows what's going on with his wife's pregnancy. I thought it'd be nice if they could both read it at the same time, so even though they can't be together now, it's a kind of bond between them, you know?"

"That's really sweet," Ella said warmly, while Aria, her eyes still fixed on Ezra, tried to blink away tears. The first part of the story was obviously made up – Ezra didn't have any friends whose wives were pregnant, or who were flying back to Iraq – but the second part was clearly meant for her. She'd told him she was reading her Mom's old copy of _What to Expect When You're Expecting_, so he must have decided to buy his own, so he could read it at the same time as her, because he couldn't be with her. Aria felt a sudden rush of love at the same time as a rush of despair. If only she could just throw her arms around Ezra and kiss him. If only she could just say, right here, right now, _"Mom, this is the father of my baby. And I love him and I want to be with him, and we're going to keep the baby and raise it together."_ If only it were that simple.

_If Ezra and I were together like a proper couple, _Aria realized suddenly_, I'd be keeping this baby for sure. I could never give up something that we both love so much, that's a part of both of us._

_So you're not together_, the voice in her head said, clear as a bell. _That doesn't make either of you love this baby any less._

_I do love it. That's why I want the best for it._

_And just because you can't be with the father, that makes giving it away the best thing for it?_

_Oh my god._

_I want to keep the baby._

"What was that?" Aria suddenly heard coming from two different voices, her mother's and Ezra's.

She looked up, confused. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"You just said you wanted to keep the baby," Ella said, looking closely at her daughter. "Aria, are you all right? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"A vision, more like. An epiphany," Aria replied, looking up at Ezra, who couldn't conceal the delight in his eyes.

"Are you-" he began eagerly, then paused and changed his tone. "Are you sure? I mean, it's none of my business or anything, but maybe you should think about it a bit first."

"Mr Fitz is right," Ella said, concerned. "It's a huge decision, Aria-"

_He wants me to keep it, too._

"I know. But it's right. For – everyone."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Aria, I think we should discuss this more," Ella said. "This isn't the sort of decision you just jump into out of the blue in a maternity store. I get that it's emotional, being here, seeing all this baby stuff, but this isn't the time to be making emotional decisions. Not about something this huge."

"Mom. I love my baby. That's all I need to know," Aria replied quietly, glancing up at Ezra, hoping that he could read in her eyes what she couldn't say out loud: _And its father loves it too._

"Look, we can't talk about this here," Ella said abruptly, looking across at Ezra as well. "Clearly shopping is going to have to wait for another time. I'm sorry, Mr Fitz. You don't need to be dragged into all this, and yet, here we are! I do apologize."

"Oh – oh no, it's no problem," said Ezra, who obviously would have loved to be there for the discussion, but who equally obviously could not be. "Really." He caught Aria's eye. "It's fine. And…I'm happy for you."

Aria nodded, unable to speak. Her throat felt tight and sore, and she swallowed hard.

"Well, we'll see about that," Ella said briskly. "This is far from certain. Come on, Aria. Goodbye, Mr Fitz."

"Goodbye-" Ezra began. And then they were gone.

Ezra stood staring after them, lost in thought, for a good five minutes. Then, slowly, he turned around and walked over to the counter and placed "What to Expect When You're Expecting" down on it.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said. "I just have to get one more thing."

_If I kept a journal,_ he thought as he made his way past the bookshelves,_ I would start today's entry with "Today my life changed forever". _He stopped, looked around, and then reached over and picked up a tiny white onesie with fluffy feet and a fluffy white hood to match. Then, smiling, he made his way back over to the counter.

"I'm going to be a father," he said aloud, more to himself than to the cashier.

"Hey, congrats," said the cashier, a young student-type who looked about twenty. "Rather you than me, though."

Ezra's smile grew even broader. "Two months ago, I'd have said the exact same thing."

#####

"Hey, Fitz! Did you hear the news?" The loud voice of Peter MacNally, Rosewood's science teacher, greeted Ezra as he walked into the staffroom on Monday morning, two days later.

Ezra dumped his briefcase onto the table and sank down into a chair. "Coffee…I need coffee first, before I can absorb anything," he groaned.

"Rough night?" Peter looked at him curiously as he went over to the coffee machine. He liked Ezra, but there was something odd about him, too. Sure, this was his first job, so he was working hard to make a good impression, but no twenty-four-year-old had zero social life, like Ezra Fitz pretended to. No dates, no girlfriends, no clubbing, no…anything. Thirty-seven-year-old Peter, married with three kids, couldn't help thinking that if he were twenty-four again, and as good-looking as Ezra, he'd be making a lot better use of his time.

Ezra, knowing nothing of this, and obviously unable to share any information about his private life, merely groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Just couldn't sleep, that's all."

Peter sighed; as always, Ezra Fitz was the life and soul of…well, absolutely nothing. He poured two cups of coffee and sat down next to Ezra, handing him one.

"So, you have Aria Montgomery, right?"

Ezra felt a shock pass through his body. _What? He couldn't know -_

"What do you mean, I have her?" he said carefully, looking at his coffee and taking a sip, not daring to meet his colleague's eyes.

"For English, dimwit! Man, you really are a mess this morning, aren't you? You'd better get that coffee, and maybe like three more, in you before first period."

"I'll be fine. What's this about Aria?" Ezra demanded, suddenly scared. Had she been in an accident? Was she hurt? Was the baby okay?

"Oh, she's only gone and got herself knocked up," Peter drawled, leaning back and sipping his coffee.

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. Yes, I heard."

"Damn. And here I thought I had some juicy gossip for you, to cheer you up. Or at least _wake_ you up. How did you find out, anyway? You were gone when the principal told us on Friday after school."

"Oh…I ran into her and her mother at the mall on Saturday," Ezra replied quickly. A little too quickly, perhaps, but Peter didn't seem to notice.

"I always knew she'd get into trouble somehow. Walking around with her pink hair and those little skirts and boots up to god knows where, like a prostitute or something-"

"It's no worse than anything the other girls wear," Ezra said through clenched teeth, feeling the anger rising, and fighting it down. He couldn't give himself away.

"Yeah, but they don't look all – whatsit – gothic, or emo, or whatever the hell they're calling it these days. Those ones are always up to no good. Bad eggs, the lot of them."

"Aria is _not_ a "bad egg"," Ezra retorted, maybe a little too harshly, for Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I mean," he tempered it quickly, "she's a good student, and a nice girl, and just because she's – made a mistake, doesn't mean we should condemn her!"

"Whoa. I had no idea you were the advocate for the sluts of Rosewood, Fitz-"

Ezra felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. "Take that back," he said quietly.

"What? What on earth's gotten into you?" Peter demanded, genuinely taken aback.

"You're a teacher, for God's sake! You're supposed to support and help these kids, not label them and dismiss them as worthless!"

"Hey. I teach science. What my students get up to outside of my class is none of my business, and I'm sure they'd agree with me on that! So if one of them goes and sleeps around and gets herself knocked up-"

"That's not what happened!"

"Oh yeah? How do _you _know?"

_Calm down, Ezra. You're going to ruin everything._

"I don't _know_, of course," Ezra said, with forced calm. "It's just that, with what I know of Aria, that seems unlikely. She's a … a good kid. And anyway, you seem awfully quick to blame this all on _her. _I'm pretty sure she didn't get pregnant all on her own."

"Yeah, well, it's the girl's responsibility to look after that stuff, isn't it?"

Ezra stared at Peter. "You're kidding me, right?"

"What the hell is _with _you today, Fitz?"

Ezra shook his head. "There are sixteen-year-old boys in this school who would be ashamed to talk like you do. You make me sick, Peter MacNally."

He picked up his briefcase and walked out, leaving his colleague staring after him in shock.

####

"Pop quiz! Let's see how much you remember from the chapters I told you to prepare over the weekend. Or, actually, how many of you even bothered to read them," Ezra finished blandly. "Pens out, cellphones OFF, and no talking, please."

Under cover of the groans of the class, Aria caught Emily's eye. "What's with him?" Emily whispered. Aria shrugged. She had no idea. He'd looked so happy the last time she'd seen him. But maybe…maybe he was having second thoughts? Maybe he was freaked out at the thought of her actually keeping their baby. Or maybe he was angry that she hadn't discussed it with him first, and had just blurted it out in front of her mother?

She glanced up as Ezra walked by her desk, but he just put the quiz paper down on her desk and moved on, not even looking at her. Aria felt tears pricking the back of her eyelids. Normally that wouldn't be, well, normal, but this pregnancy had messed her hormones right up. She wasn't even sure what she was upset about. Ezra never took much notice of her in class. It was safest that way. But he just seemed so…_angry_. No, not just angry. Seething. With rage.

What had happened?

"And…begin!" Ezra's voice was harsh, harsher than she'd ever heard it before. Aria turned over her paper and began to read the first question. _What was George's motive for talking...no…telling…what… _The words suddenly seemed to be swimming all over the page, and Aria felt hot. Burning hot, in fact. Oh no. She hadn't felt this way for weeks. But she knew what was coming next. The wave of nausea, and…

Aria jumped to her feet and ran for the door, ignoring Ezra's voice calling after her, and the giggles from some of the class, who had managed, in the space of half an hour at school, to find out about her pregnancy – or at least suspect it.

Ezra took a step towards the door, and then realized it was pointless. He couldn't go after her.

"Emily," he said, his eyes alighting on her face first, "go and see if Aria's all right. The rest of you, keep quiet and keep writing."

"It's okay, Mr Fitz," Kyle Matthews called from the back row, as Emily left. "It's just morning sickness."

There was a concerted gasp from three quarters of the class, who hadn't been treated to this information yet.

"Shut up, Kyle, and get back to work, or you're getting an F," Ezra warned him. But he couldn't control the entire class, not with this news out.

"Aria's pregnant?" Mona gasped.

"I thought she was getting kind of chubby!" someone else said simultaneously.

"It's always the quiet ones," Jarrod Nicols said knowingly.

"Who's the father?" Denise Ford demanded, looking round accusingly at all the guys.

"Don't look at me! If I'd known she'd put out, I'd have tried to get in there long ago," Kyle smirked.

There was a sudden crash, and the entire class jumped in their seats and then fell silent. Ezra had picked up a chair and thrown it against a wall, so hard that the back had broken in two. He stood there, glaring, emanating fury, and the culprits shrank into their seats and tried to look as small as possible.

"If I hear one more word out of any of you, about Aria or anything else, every last one of you will not only get detention for the rest of the term, but you will all fail this test – which _will _be counting towards your final semester grade." He raised his voice. "Now shut the fuck up and get back to work, or I promise you, you will regret it."

No one had ever heard Mr Fitz speak like that. With one accord they picked up their pens and started scribbling away for dear life. When Emily returned a few minutes later, the room was deathly quiet, except for the scratching of pens. Ezra was leaning against his desk, looking like grim death, watching them, but when Emily opened the door he hurried over to her.

"Is she okay?" he asked in a low voice.

Emily nodded. "She's fine. Just nausea. She's feeling better already; she just wanted to sit still for a minute or two in the cold, and then she'll be back."

"Okay. Thank you, Emily. You can sit down and carry on. I'll make allowances for the fact that you had less time than the others."

Emily went back to her seat, grimacing, but not daring to say a word. Even she could see how furious Mr Fitz was. Clearly something bad had happened while she was out of the room.

Ezra left the door ajar, and stood leaning against the frame, so he could hear Aria returning. He was not only furious with the class, but furious with himself, too. He had had no right to lose his temper like that. However badly they'd been behaving, throwing furniture across the room was not the way to behave. But first McNally and now these idiots, talking about Aria, _the mother of his child_, like she was trash. Like she was just something to be made fun of, laughed at, without thought and without consequence. It killed him to listen to people mocking her, shaming her, talking about her like she was a piece of meat…he couldn't bear it. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his flesh.

Footsteps. Ezra quickly stepped out into the corridor, leaving the door ajar behind him. It was indeed Aria returning, looking pale but otherwise all right.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah. Just morning sickness. I thought I was past it, but I guess you never really are," Aria said ruefully.

"We need to talk."

"I know."

"Come see me after school. You can tell the others it's to make up the test."

Aria nodded, and then stepped inside as Ezra held the door open for her. A couple of people looked up to stare at her, and then looked hurriedly away as they caught the cold glare of Mr Fitz.

Aria took her seat and began writing, but she still felt a bit light-headed, and it was a relief when the bell rang ten minutes later.

"Bring your test papers to me," Ezra called out, as the class started standing up and packing their things away. "Aria, wait a moment, will you?"

The class filed out, leaving their test papers – many noticeably rather blank – with him, and Aria stopped at the front desk. Hanna, Emily and Spencer lingered near the door, not sure what to do, till Ezra waved them out.

"You can wait for Aria outside," he said. "I just want to speak to her alone for a minute."

The trio left, and as the door closed behind them, Ezra turned back to Aria.

"I'm so sorry –" they both began, and then laughed.

"What are _you _sorry about?" Ezra demanded.

"I don't know; for getting sick and drawing attention to myself, I guess," Aria shrugged. "I heard the noise after I left, and I know what they were saying."

"And I'm sorry because I couldn't take it, and I lost my temper with them," Ezra sighed. He waved at the broken chair, lying forlornly against the far wall. "The fruits of my anger, right there."

"You threw a chair at them?" Aria's eyes were like saucers.

"Not AT them. Just at the wall. It got them to shut up, at least. What are you smiling at?"

"You threw a chair for me."

"Well, I guess so. It wasn't exactly my finest hour."

"I love you, Ezra."

And suddenly the anger had just gone. And they were just Ezra and Aria, two people in love.


	19. Chapter 19

**Guys! I have to tell you how completely overwhelmed I was at the response to my last chapter. I know I've been gone for months, and believe me I missed writing this as much as you missed reading it, but I run my own business and it was just SO hectic the last few months. But now that the show is back on (thank goodness, I was dying without it) I got the kick in the seat of my pants I needed to get back to writing! I love writing about Aria and Ezra; I wish the show showed more of them! So I'll just create that in here. Thanks for all the amazing reviews, everyone. It means the world to me!**

* * *

Chapter 19 One More Secret

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then, as Ezra's next class started filing in, Aria took a step back.

"I'll see you after school," she said. Ezra nodded, and then, as she turned away, he beckoned her back.

"Everything will be okay," he said in an undertone. "Don't let them get to you."

"Thanks…Mr Fitz," Aria said, adding his name on quickly as another student approached the desk, and turned and left. Her next class was history, and hopefully she was late enough that no one would have time to question her about anything. Unfortunately, as she entered the room, she realized that Mr Williams wasn't there yet, and judging by the way the chatter died down as she entered the room, and the way everyone turned to stare at her, Aria knew exactly what they had all been talking about. Ignoring them, she made her way over to her desk and sat down.

"Everything okay?" Spencer leaned across the aisle to ask.

"Uhuh. Mr Fitz says I have to stay after school and retake the test, though."

Spencer nodded, but said nothing. There was a moment of silence, until Mona's voice cut through it.

"So come on, Aria. Spill!"

Aria looked across the room at her. Every eye in the room was boring into her, it seemed.

"What?" she said, snappishly.

"Mona, shut up, just leave it," Hanna begged.

"As if! This is the most interesting thing that's ever happened at Rosewood, as far as I'm concerned," Mona retorted. "Well, aside from Alison being murdered and all, but that was ages ago-"

"Shut UP, Mona," Hanna and Spencer both said together. Aria stared down at her history book, fiddling with the broken plastic on the corner of the cover. If only Mr Williams would arrive. She would never have thought she'd be anxious to see that boring old man with his stupid moustache, but even his dreary history lessons were better than this.

"Okay, okay, I won't mention Alison if it freaks you out. But Aria's got to dish the dirt sometime, and it might as well be now. So come on, Aria!"

"I don't have to "dish" anything," Aria retorted. "It's none of any of your businesses."

"But you ARE pregnant?" Mona demanded.

Aria sighed. "Yes, okay? Yes, I'm pregnant. Whoohoo, what a scandal, etcetera etcetera. Now can we shut up about it? And by "we" I mean "you"," she added as Mona opened her mouth to speak again.

"Who's the father?" Noel Kahn called from the back of the room.

"Also, surprisingly enough, none of your business," Aria turned around and snapped at him.

"But is he at this school? I mean do we know him?" Kyle Matthews demanded.

"Seriously, guys! Could you shut the hell up?" This was Spencer. "Aria's not going to tell you anything, so stop badgering her!"

"Oooh, been having some lawyer lessons from Mommy, Spencer?" Kyle jeered. "Am I badgering the witness? Are you going to object to the judge?"

"Shut up, moron," Spencer retorted, amidst the laughter that greeted Kyle's comment. She turned back to Aria. "Just ignore them," she said quietly. "We're here for you, so don't worry."

Aria nodded, but her cheeks were burning and her eyes stung. She had known this would be hard, but it was worse than she'd imagined. It was so…personal. So horribly, horribly invasive. For the first time she wondered if maybe it wouldn't have been the best plan to go away for the pregnancy, to a school for unmarried mothers, or a convent or something. But then she wouldn't have been able to see Ezra, or her friends. And they were the only ones who knew the full truth; without them she'd go mad.

"All right, all right, quieten down now," came the voice of Mr Williams as he entered the room. "I apologize for being late, so let's just begin immediately, shall we? Open your text books to chapter 16."

Aria heaved a sigh of relief as the attention was taken off her (however temporarily), and opened her book. Not that she could concentrate on anything in it, nor anything that Mr Williams was saying. But it was a relief just to sit there without being bombarded with questions.

The bell rang all too soon, and as Aria got up, Emily, Spencer and Hanna came over to her, as if to form a wall around her.

"What are you, my bodyguards?" Aria demanded, smiling and trying to make light of it.

"Something like that. No one's going to get near you while we're here, anyway," Spencer replied.

"Thanks, guys. You're great friends, do you know that?"

"Yeah, well just remember that when my birthday rolls around next month," Hanna grinned, linking her arm through Aria's.

+#+

The rest of the day passed in pretty much the same way. It seemed like most of the school now knew that Aria Montgomery was pregnant, and they weren't disguising their curiosity or judgment in any way. It was a huge relief when the last bell had gone, and Aria could make her way over to Ezra's classroom.

"Hey," she said, as she entered the open door. Ezra jumped up from his desk.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" He closed the door and locked it, and then drew her to the far side of the room, where they couldn't be seen through the glass pane in the door. Aria sank down into a chair.

"Fine, if you're talking about the morning sickness. Pretty crappy, if you're talking about anything else."

"I'm so sorry," Ezra said, pulling a chair up next to hers, and putting his arms around her.

"Oh well, we always knew this would happen at some point," Aria sighed. She rested her head on Ezra's shoulder and looked up at him. "I just didn't think it would be so soon. Or so...bad."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this alone," Ezra replied, kissing the top of her head. He squeezed her tighter.

"I remember you telling me how hard it would be," Aria said.

"I know. I want so badly to help you through it, but I can't, because I can't bloody SAY anything."

"You do help me through it, though," Aria replied, shifting back and looking at him. "Just by being here for me, and loving me. And loving our baby. I can't imagine what it would be like if I was actually alone. Like if you'd walked away and left me."

"I will never, ever do that. You know that, right?"

Aria nodded. "I do. But it's going to be so hard, Ezra. We can't even be together in any kind of normal way, and now with the baby…"

Ezra's eyes lit up. "Are you…are you going to keep it?" He didn't want to sway her decision, but for the life of him he couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.

Aria laughed. "You really want me to, don't you?"

"Um. No..well, yes, but I mean, only if you want to. I mean, yet again everything would fall on you, all the responsibility, looking after it, feeding it, taking care of it when you should only be thinking about school-"

"Ezra. Shush."

"Okay."

" I'm keeping it."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Oh my god! Thank you thank you thank you thank you…" Ezra pulled Aria close to him, and buried his face in her hair. He could feel the tears in his eyes, and he didn't care.

"You're crying," Aria smiled, when he pulled away from her.

"Shut up, I'm allowed. You've just told me I'm going to be a father."

"I guess that is pretty big news," said Aria, laughing. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you _can_ be a father to this baby. Our baby, I mean." She paused as she took in the enormity of those two words. "But Ezra, it's going to be hard. I mean, if no one can know you're the father, we have to work out a way to, well, make it work. I want you to be there - hold on, my phone's ringing."

"Can't you leave it?"

"No, it's my Mom. Oh, crap, I forgot to tell her about staying late today! And I'm still grounded; I forgot." She clicked answer on her phone. "Hi Mom."

Ezra could hear Ella's voice through the phone, but not what she was saying. She sounded…well, not happy, anyway.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot to tell you. I have to stay late at school to make up an English test."

Pause. "Because I got sick in class today and I missed most of it – no, I'm fine, Mom, it was just morning sickness. Yes, I ate lunch. Yes, Mr Fitz is here. What? Why?"

Ezra looked at Aria quizzically, and then she held out the phone to him. "She wants to talk to you," she whispered.

_Why?_ Ezra mouthed, but Aria just shrugged, so he took the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mr Fitz!"

"Hi, Mrs Montgomery."

"Ella," she corrected him.

"Right. Hi…Ella." _This could not be more awkward._

"I don't know if Aria told you, but she is grounded. So I just wanted to make sure that she comes home immediately you've finished with her."

"Oh, of course. She did tell me. I just wanted to give her a little more time to write the test, given the circumstances. No, it's no problem at all. Oh, and while I've got you on the phone, Aria might need to stay late more often over the next few weeks. Well, as you know, she is one of my most promising students, and she's working on some short stories for extra credit, and I'm helping her with them….Yes, yes of course we'll let you know beforehand whenever it's going to be happening. I just wanted to mention it to you now so that you're aware. Yes, you too. Goodbye."

Ezra clicked disconnect and handed the phone back to Aria, who was staring at him, open-mouthed.

"Ezra Fitz, you big fat liar," she gasped. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"Am I a genius, or what?" Ezra grinned. "Now you've got an iron-clad excuse to spend at least one afternoon a week with me. More, if we can get away with it. I'm beginning to think being your teacher has its advantages."

"You completely and totally rock," said Aria.

"I suspected as much," Ezra replied, as he pulled her towards him and kissed her.

Aria pulled away and gasped. "Ezra! I think I just felt the baby kick!"

"What? Let me feel!" Ezra put his hands on her stomach. But there was nothing.

"It stopped. I don't even know…maybe it wasn't even the baby. I just felt something…different."

"It's supposed to feel fluttery."

"I don't even know if that _was_ fluttery…I suppose it might have been."

"Anyway, you're only nineteen weeks. It's still on the early side for feeling the baby kick," Ezra pointed out.

Aria grinned. "You've been reading "What to Expect", haven't you?"

"Well, obviously. You didn't think it was really for my fake friend in Iraq, did you?"

Aria laughed. "Ezra…I hope you're there to feel it when the baby _does_ kick – properly, I mean."

"Me too. But Aria, we both know I might not be. If I can only see you at school – and even then, only for moments – or after school, like this; well, it doesn't give us much time. And when the baby comes…have you thought about how we're going to manage that?"

"Sort of. The staff have a crèche behind the school, don't they?"

"Oh – yes, they do. Mrs Linscott brings both her kids there, and so does Debbie Stewart from the music department. Oh, and I think one of the cafeteria workers has her baby there too. Why? Do you think they'll let you leave your – our – baby there during the day?"

Aria nodded. "That's what I'm hoping. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to manage. I can't stay home from school to look after it, and my Mom has the gallery; her boss will never let her bring a baby in to work. And Dad's got classes…so yeah, unless we get a nanny, which we probably couldn't afford anyway-"

"I could pay for that," Ezra interrupted.

"You _could_, but try explaining that one to my parents."

"Crap. Good point. I just want to DO something, that's all. I mean, of course I want to spend as much time as possible with him or her, but I also want to help with the money side of things. A baby isn't a cheap event in one's life. And it's my baby too. I should help."

"I guess we'll have to work that out as it happens," Aria shrugged. "Anyway, as for the Nanny, I don't really want one. I want to raise this baby as much as I can without some stranger's help."

"I feel exactly the same," Ezra said. "I just hope you can get away from your parents sometimes, bring him – or her – over to visit me. I know it won't be like it was before, because they're going to be really protective now, but…just try. Please?"

"Of course I'll try! I want this baby to be as much with you as possible. I'll do anything to make sure that happens!"

"This really is a messed up situation, isn't it." Ezra made it a statement, rather than a question.

"I know. But Ezra – we'll get through it, won't we?"

"We have to. We've got the biggest reason in the world." He put his hands on Aria's stomach again. "I love this baby more than anything , and I haven't even met it yet. If that's not a reason to make this work, nothing is."

"You know what? Aria said suddenly.

"What?"

"Walking into that bar last summer was the best thing I've ever done."

"You mean it didn't totally mess up your life, falling for one of your teachers and getting pregnant at sixteen?" Ezra said, half-joking but at the same time, half-serious.

"It CHANGED my life, that's for damn sure. And that's how I'm going to look at it. I've got the best man in the world, who's going to be the best father in the world to our baby. And one day, when school and all this crap is over, we can be together properly. It's only for the first two years of the baby's life, Ezra. After that I can move out, and we can go somewhere together, and be free."

"It sounds perfect," Ezra replied, leaning in to hug her again.

_I just hope it works out that way._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 One More Secret

As Aria closed the front door behind her, she was greeted by her mother, who appeared in the passageway immediately, as though she'd been waiting for the sound of her daughter returning home.

"Hey, honey," was all she said, however. "How was the test?"

"The- oh, the test." Aria had forgotten all about the test, since she and Ezra had spent the whole time discussing their baby's future (and a little time making out in the corner of the classroom). "Oh yeah, it was fine. No problem."

"And you're okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?" Aria asked as she hung up her coat and dropped her satchel on the sofa.

"The morning sickness thing…is that something that's been happening a lot? Have you had to miss a lot of classes since…since it started?"

_Since I got pregnant, you mean,_ Aria thought to herself. Aloud, she just said, "No, not really at all. In fact I don't remember ever having to leave a classroom before. I used to feel sick sometimes, especially around lunchtime, but it wasn't bad enough to actually throw up most of the time. I thought it had passed, but I guess not – or maybe it was just a one-off." She followed Ella into the kitchen, and sniffed appreciatively. "That smells great! Is it meatloaf?"

"It is. I thought I'd make it since you like it so much, and you were stuck at school all afternoon," Ella explained, handing her daughter some plates. "Here, set the table while I check how it's doing."

Aria did so, and there was a moment of silence before Ella popped the meatloaf back in the oven. "Still another few minutes, I think," she said. "So, Mr Fitz says you're going to be doing some work for extra credit?"

"Oh – yes, that's right. We were discussing it, and he – we both think I should try and do as much as I can now, before the baby's here. Obviously I don't want to miss anything next year, but a baby is a baby, and he or she kind of has to be my priority. I mean, if he's sick or something I can't just go off to school and leave him – or her. But I need to make really good grades now while I can, just to be on the safe side. And – Mr Fitz says he'll help me catch up if I DO miss anything once I have the baby. After school, or whatever."

"So you've discussed the baby with Mr Fitz, then?" Ella had her back turned to Aria as she checked something on the stove, and Aria couldn't see her face to make out her expression, or therefore the meaning behind the question.

"Um, yeah, sure," she answered vaguely. "It came up. Why?"

"Well, I think that's great, honey."

"You do?" Aria was confused.

"Of course! I was so worried your teachers would, well, treat you differently now. And I know English is your favourite subject, and Mr Fitz is your favourite teacher. To have him on your side, as it were, through this, must be a big relief."

"Oh. Oh yeah, sure. He's been great about it," Aria said. _Mostly because he's the father. She tried to imagine blurting that out to her mother right now, and cringed. Now there was a conversation that was never ever going to take place, if she could help it._

"Well, that's good to know. I'm so glad you have an adult you can trust and talk to at school, Aria."

Aria squirmed inwardly. She felt like the most deceitful person in the world. But what else was she supposed to do? There was no admitting the truth now. But if only Ella would stop talking about Ezra, and how much she liked him, appreciated him, was grateful to him! It made Aria feel even worse about concealing the truth. She couldn't even begin to contemplate how Ella would react if she knew that this likeable, trustworthy adult had actually had sex with her sixteen-year-old daughter and gotten her pregnant into the bargain.

"Is that meatloaf done yet?" she tried to change the subject.

Ella grinned. "Not yet, honey. Dying of hunger?"

"Kind of," Aria admitted. At least this was true.

"Well, just a couple more minutes. So," Ella turned the subject right back to where it had been, "everything else okay at school? Are the other teachers reacting as well as Mr Fitz?"

Aria shrugged. "I didn't notice anything weird."

"And the other kids? Do they know yet?"

Aria grimaced. "Oh yeah. They know. The entire school knows, it seems. Hanna and the others did some asking around, and apparently someone overheard two of the teachers discussing it before school this morning. So it was kind of all over the school by first period."

"Oh, Aria, I'm so sorry! Were they okay? I mean, did anyone…I don't know…do anything to you?"

"What, like pull my hair and call me names?" Aria replied light-heartedly. Fake light-heartedly.

"You know what I mean." Ella stopped stirring the gravy on the stove and came and sat down next to her daughter. "Did they treat you all right?"

"Ugh, it was kind of crappy, but mostly they're just curious," Aria replied, fiddling with the tablecloth. "I'm sure once the novelty's worn off they'll forget all about it. And luckily the baby's due over the summer, so by the time we get back in September I can come back to school with everyone else and not miss anything…or draw any more attention to myself."

Ella sighed. "And I suppose you haven't changed your mind about keeping the baby and taking it to school and leaving it at the daycare?"

"No. And I'm not going to, either. Change my mind, I mean. No, seriously, Mom. I heard all your arguments. Believe me, I listened. I know the pros and cons. I know I'm going to be a college freshman with a 2-year-old child. I know it's going to be a lot of extra work for you and Dad, and I know I'm asking a lot of you to do it. I know I'm basically giving up my freedom and my life and the plans I had, and the plans you had for me. And I know it's because of a mistake I made. But…I love my baby. And I want to be its mother. And I'm sorry that people are going to point and stare, not just at me but at you as well, and say hurtful things and ask insensitive questions. But it's the way it has to be, if my baby is going to be in our lives."

"Aria, you know we'll do what you want," Ella replied. "I just want to make sure that keeping this baby IS what you want. Not just now, but in five or six months, when you have to stay up all night with a screaming baby who won't sleep no matter what you do, and you have to get up and go to school the next day so you don't fail your classes. Or in two years, when all your friends are moving away for college and living in dorms and partying every night, and you have to stay home and watch your toddler and make sure he doesn't break everything in the house. Or when some boy asks you out and then doesn't show up because he's found out you have a child. Have you thought about all that, Aria?"

Aria met her mother's eyes. "I have. Believe me, I have. It's going to be hard. But … I feel like I don't only _want_ to do it, I _need _to do it. I owe it to this baby, and to myself. I'm going to be its mother."

"Well, I guess I'm going to be a grandmother, then. Only … don't say anything like that to your father yet, Aria," Ella warned quickly. "He's going to take some more time to adjust to you being pregnant, let alone him being a grandfather or anything. Just let him come to it in his own time."

"Okay."

"And speak of the devil; sounds like the boys are home," Ella said, as she heard the front door slam shut, and voices in the hall.

"Mike too?" Aria demanded, a little fearfully. She hadn't seen Mike since the day she'd told her parents she was pregnant, and he'd reacted so badly. He'd been staying at a friend's house for the last four days, and she'd half-forgotten she still had to deal with him.

"He does live here, you know," Ella replied, smiling. "Your father's spoken to him, though, about what happened on Thursday. So hopefully…"

She let the sentence trail off as Byron and Mike entered the room.

"Good timing, boys," she said, giving Byron a peck on the cheek. "Food's ready. Mike, do you need to wash up?"

"I washed my hands already," Mike protested sullenly, and Ella just nodded and turned back to the gravy.

_This seems like it's going to be a fun evening,_ Aria thought. _I wish I could be at Ezra's instead of here._

"Hey, honey," Byron said to Aria. "How was school?"

"Fine," Aria said, shrugging. What was she going to say? _It was the shittiest schoolday of my life so far?_

"That makes one of us, then," Mike spoke up. "Thanks to you, I had the worst day ever."

"Yeah, me too, okay?" Aria snapped.

"That's your own problem. It's your fault," Mike snapped back. "Oh, by the way, I've got twenty phone numbers to give you. They all want to know if you'll put out."

"Michael, that's enough!" Byron said firmly. "What did we talk about earlier?"

Mike looked at his father and then reluctantly turned to Aria. "I'm sorry I called you a stupid bitch," he mumbled.

"And?"

"And a slut, and…whatever else."

Aria looked at her little brother. "Mike, I'm sorry I'm putting you through this," she said quietly. "It was a stupid mistake…you were right about the stupid part," she added with a smile, and Mike, caught off-guard, half-smiled before he quickly looked back down at his food. "But it's happening. And I'm keeping the baby. You've always been a great brother to me. Can I count on you to be a great uncle, too?"

"I'll see," Mike muttered, spooning meatloaf into his mouth so he didn't have to say anymore. Aria nodded. It was a step in the right direction, and she didn't push it.

After dinner Aria went upstairs and pulled out her laptop to skype Ezra.

Aria: Hey

Ezra: Hey, beautiful!

Aria: What you doing?

Ezra: Grading those quiz papers. It's not pretty.

Aria: Oh yeah..how'd I do on that?

Ezra: I'm gonna postulate an A, since that's what you always get…

Aria:

Ezra: Of course, next time you don't do the make-up test and make out with me instead, I'm gonna have to fail you.

Aria: Totally fair

Ezra: We'll just have to be sure to make out when you don't have a test.

Aria: Like when I do my stories for extra credit.

Ezra: Exactly

Aria: I miss you

Ezra: I know, me too

Aria: I wish I could be there with you all the time, instead of here.

Ezra: Whoa, slow down there, talking about moving in with me already. We should at least sleep together first, make sure we're compatible.

Aria: Good call. How's Wednesday for you?

Ezra: Perfect

Aria: Your place or your place?

Ezra: I was thinking my place

Aria: I can't wait

Ezra: Me neither. I love you so much.

Aria: Me too.

Ezra: Listen, I gotta go get something for supper before I pass out. Chat later?

Aria: Sure, I'll be here.

Ezra: Kiss my baby for me

Aria: Not a contortionist!

Ezra: Oh well, I still love you anyway…

Aria: Love you too

**disconnected**

Aria stayed up a while, but Ezra didn't log back on.

"I guess he must have got back into grading those papers and lost all track of time," Aria said to herself. She was tired out too, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, not even bothering to change into her pyjamas.

##

Late for school the next morning, Aria had no chance to pop in to say hi to Ezra until fourth period, when they had English. Strolling in with Emily, Spencer and Hanna, she stopped short when she saw a dumpy, middle-aged blonde woman writing on the board.

"Where's Mr Fitz?" Spencer demanded of Aria, but Aria merely shook her head, confused. Where _was _Ezra? Was he sick? He'd been fine the night before.

"Take your seats, please," the strange teacher called out, clapping her hands to get their attention. Her voice was harsh and strident; nothing like the soft, low tones of Mr Fitz, and it jarred on Aria. She took her seat, and then raised her hand.

"Yes?" the teacher said impatiently.

"Where's Mr Fitz?" Aria asked, not meaning to put it so bluntly, but managing to in her concern for Ezra.

"If you'd wait just one second, Miss…?"

"Montgomery."

"Miss Montgomery, I will tell you in my own good time. Attention, everyone!" She raised her voice and the students stopped chattering and all looked at her. "I'm Ms Beale, and I'll be standing in for Mr Fitz temporarily."

She paused here, and Spencer, glancing across at Aria's white face, said quickly, "Is Mr Fitz okay?"

"Unfortunately Mr Fitz was in a car accident last night. I'm not sure of the specifics."

Aria felt the room closing in around her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 One More Secret**

Aria was white as a sheet, and her three friends stared at her in concern.

Spencer spoke up again. "But he's okay, right? I mean…he's going to be all right, isn't he?"

Ms Beale sighed. "As far as I can gather, it's not serious, no. Now, touching as your concern for your teacher is, we do have work to do here. Can anyone tell me what chapter you're on at the moment?"

Undercover of the scuffling of books opening and muttering that ensued, Emily leaned across to Aria. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Aria tried to bring the desk in front of her back into focus, and failed. Ezra. Ezra had been in an accident. And she didn't know. She hadn't known because obviously no one would have known to call her. What if he was…bad? What if the father of her baby died, and she wasn't even there, because as far as anyone was concerned, she didn't exist? How would she go on without him? And how would she ever hide her grief from the world, when he was only supposed to be her teacher, and nothing more?

"Ms Beale? I don't think my friend is feeling well. Can some of us take her outside?" Emily asked.

"Not again," came a mock-groan from the back of the class. "Baby allergic to English class, Aria?"

Aria, feeling the eyes of everyone, especially Ms Beale, boring into her, forced herself to raise her head and look up, even though there were black spots dancing before her eyes.

"I'm fine, Emily," she said with as much strength as she could muster. "I just got dizzy for a second. I'm sorry, Ms Beale. Please go on."

"Why, thank you, Miss Montgomery," the new teacher said sarcastically, her eyes flickering down to Aria's belly, or what she could see of it. "I do appreciate it. Turn to page 45, please, everyone."

Aria managed to open her book to the correct page, and kept her head down for the rest of the lesson.

When the bell rang, her friends rushed over to her.

"Aria? Are you okay?" Hanna asked, worriedly.

"You look like hell," Spencer commented. "Come on, we're taking you to the nurse's room."

Aria pulled her arm away from the one Spencer had linked with hers. "No! I have to go to the principal! I have to find out if Ezra…if Ezra's okay." She swayed, and Spencer and Emily both put their arms around her.

"All right, but you've got to lie down, Aria," Emily said, concerned. "You look like you're going to fall over any second, and you need to think of the baby. Come on, you've had a shock, and you need to lie down and get some juice or sugar water or something in you."

"But I have to find out…" Aria protested.

"Looking like that? I don't think so! It's written all over your face how scared you are for Mr Fitz," Hanna said bluntly. "Look, _I'll _go. I'll tell the Principal the class wants to send a gift or something to the hospital for Mr Fitz, and I'll find out where he is – and how he is. But only if you let Em and Spencer take you to the sick room. Okay?"

"Okay, okay." Aria gave up. She really did feel like she could faint or be sick – or both – at any moment. Her stomach was churning; whether from shock or fear or nausea, she didn't know. Probably all three. She let Emily and Spencer lead her out of the room, and Hanna left them at the door, making her way in the opposite direction.

##

"She's not feeling well," Emily explained, as the school nurse came in. Spencer was helping Aria onto the bed, and the nurse eyed her coldly.

"Aria Montgomery, right? I've heard of you."

"She feels faint. She was fine, but then she had a bit of a shock about…something," Spencer said, meeting the nurse's eyes firmly. She wasn't going to let her friend be treated badly by anyone, least of all some stupid school nurse who was too big for her boots.

The nurse sighed. "I'll take her blood pressure. Has she had anything sweet to drink?"

"Not yet."

"I'll get something."

"Fruit juice…the last time I fainted, Ezra gave me fruit juice," Aria said from the bed. "It helped."

Spencer glanced round, but the nurse had gone into the next room already. "When was this?"

"The night I had to go to hospital, a few months ago. When I got scared because A left me that picture, and then I ran and I got dizzy and passed out…"

"Okay, say WHAT now? A left you a picture?" Spencer demanded.

"Oh, shit." Aria hadn't meant to let that slip out, but she could barely feel her head, it was so light and floaty, and she hadn't been thinking.

"You told us you hadn't heard from A for months," Emily said, accusingly.

"I didn't want to scare everyone, okay? I'm almost 100% sure A's just doing this to freak us out. She's known since the beginning about me and Ezra, and she still hasn't done anything. So I just kept quiet about it. I didn't want to freak out everyone else; that's exactly what she wants!"

"And you still haven't told Mr Fitz about A, have you?" Spencer asked.

"No. Look, you guys, I don't need to worry him with this! A's not going to do anything!"

"I wish I could be as sure of that as you," Spencer said darkly.

The door opened and they all stopped talking. It was Hanna. She came in and closed the door behind her, and Aria sat bolt upright. "So?"

Hanna glanced round for the nurse. "He's okay," she said quietly. "Principal Yates says he's gonna be fine. It was just cuts and bruises and a dislocated...something. Collar bone, I think. No surgery or anything dramatic like that, even."

Aria sank back onto her pillows and started to cry. "Where is he?"

"St James'. I told the principal we were gonna get together a deputation or something and go see Mr Fitz, and he said he'd be there for a few days still. I think he was actually kind of impressed at how concerned we as a class all were." Hanna grinned and took Aria's hand. "So please stop freaking out, okay? It's not good for you or the baby."

"Here you go, cold fruit juice," the nurse came bustling back into the room. "Drink that and then sit up and let me take your blood pressure. You three," she eyed Hanna, Emily and Spencer, "you should be in class."

"We just wanted to make sure Aria was okay," Emily said uncertainly.

"Well, that's why _I'm_ here," the nurse said briskly. "So toddle off now and do some work. When Aria's feeling better, I'll send her along to join you. Go along."

The trio had no choice but to do so, and they trooped out.

"Man, that woman's worse than Nurse Ratched," Hanna commented. "I hope Aria's gonna be okay in there with her."

Aria didn't turn up in the next period, or the one after, but at the beginning of lunch, Spencer got a text.

"_Nurse finally let me out. Going to see Ezra. Cover for me please? Aria"_

"She's nuts," Hanna said, with certainty. "Every eye in the school is on her at the moment. How on earth does she think she's going to skip out halfway through the day without anyone noticing?"

Apparently, Lady Luck was with Aria, for she managed not only to get out of the school building, but out of the parking lot as well, without anyone spotting her. The hospital – the same one Ezra and Ella had taken her to the night she'd told Ezra about the baby – wasn't far away, and she made it there within five minutes.

"Where can I find Ezra Fitz?" she demanded as she arrived at the reception desk.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the young pregnant girl, but said nothing, and typed the name into her computer.

"Fitz? F-I-T-Z? Oh, here it is. Ezra Fitz. Ward C, room 12. Visiting hours only start in 30 minutes, but if you don't mind waiting-"

But Aria was gone. The receptionist shook her head and went back to her work. She didn't have time to worry about people arriving outside of visiting hours. Someone on Ezra Fitz's ward would have to deal with that.

Aria arrived at Ward C and got lucky again, because there was no one at the nurse's station there. She walked straight past and opened the door to room 12 quietly.

Ezra was lying in a bed by the window, his eyes closed. His face was scratched and he had a big bruise on his left cheekbone, but at least he wasn't hooked up to the machines and tubes which always scared Aria. She made her way over to his bed, and as she sat down on the chair next to him, his eyes opened.

"Hey, you," Aria smiled.

"Aria!" Ezra tried to push himself up. "Thank god! I was so worried!"

"_You_ were worried?"

"I couldn't get hold of you. My phone was in the car, and they towed the damn thing away while I was – well, goodness only knows where I was, but I was pretty out of it. And as soon as I woke up I tried to get someone to call you, but I couldn't remember your number properly, and the nurse told me to get some sleep and she was sure someone would get hold of you, but I knew they wouldn't, because how could they-"

"Ezra, shut up." Aria said, half-laughing. She leaned over and kissed him, and then continued. "I'm here now. And you're okay. I was so scared."

"I'm so sorry, Aria. I'd have done anything to spare you that."

"It's not your fault. We had this horrible sub, and she wouldn't tell us anything more than that you were in an accident, so eventually Hanna had to go to the principal to find out what was going on, and he at least told us you were okay, and that you were here." She chuckled. "Hanna says he was quite touched at our concern."

Ezra smiled weakly. "I'm just sorry I put you through that. I know you must have been freaking out."

"Yeah, a bit. But it was okay as soon as I knew you weren't…bad." She swallowed hard, and Ezra reached up with his good arm and stroked her face.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry, my love. That must have been awful."

Aria took his hand and continued holding it against her cheek. "What happened, Ezra? Was it when you went out to get dinner?"

Ezra nodded. "I'd just left my apartment when it happened. Some guy skipped a stop street and I swerved to avoid him, and went into a wall."

"Oh my God."

"I remember it happening, and I don't know if I passed out or not, but suddenly there were all these people around the car, talking to me, helping me out of the car, and I couldn't seem to speak, and I couldn't move my arm, and all I could think about was you sitting waiting for me at home, and me not coming back, and then I started thinking, "what if I never do get back? What if this is what dying feels like?""

"Oh, Ezra," Aria choked, tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh god, I should just shut up now," Ezra said. "As if I haven't upset you enough for one day. Look at you. You look like you should be the patient, not me. Come on." He shifted over to the other side of the bed, and patted the empty side. "Come on, get up here."

"Don't be silly, Ezra," Aria smiled. "I'll never fit in there, not with your giant baby attached to me."

"Oh yes you will. Anyway, I want to say hello to my giant baby properly. I can't see it down below there. So get up."

Aria grinned and clambered carefully onto the bed, squeezing up to Ezra, who put his arm around her.

"See?" he said complacently.

"I just hope no one decides to walk in now. I'm sure this isn't allowed," Aria replied, snuggling her head into the crook of his neck.

"I don't particularly care at this point, to be honest," Ezra said. "God, Aria, I was so worried about you. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Aria replied. She lifted her head and kissed him, softly at first, afraid she might hurt him, then more passionately as he pulled her closer to him.

"Ezra?"

Ezra and Aria separated, startled at the sound of the woman's voice at the door. It belonged to a dark-haired woman in her early fifties, with a classically pretty face, at present wearing a look of confusion.

"Mom?" Ezra gasped.

_Oh….fuck_, thought Aria. She climbed quickly off the bed, turning her back on the newcomer - Ezra's MOTHER, holy crap – and pulling her coat closer around her. With luck, his mother hadn't seen her baby bump, and the bulky coat, which she hadn't even removed in her haste to see Ezra, hid it nicely.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Ezra was asking, confused.

"What sort of question is that? The hospital called me last night and I flew in as soon as I could."

"You didn't need to do that. It was just some bumps and scrapes and a dislocated collar bone. You didn't need to come all the way from Seattle."

"Anyone would think you weren't happy to see me," Mrs Fitz replied, leaning over and kissing her son on the cheek, and then looking across at Aria, who was standing awkwardly on the other side of the bed. "Have you been trying to keep this young lady a secret from me, Ezra?"

Ezra glanced over at Aria, who shrugged, almost imperceptibly. His mother had seen them kissing, so there was no way she could be anything but his girlfriend. But just in case –

"Hi, I'm Elizabeth," Aria said, holding out her hand to shake Mrs Fitz's across the bed.

_Elizabeth?_ mouthed Ezra. Aria nodded.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth," Mrs Fitz said, shaking Aria's hand in return. "I wish I could say I'd heard so much about you, but I'm afraid my son seems to have slipped up in that department."

"Mom, it's just-"

"Oh no, please don't blame Ezra," Aria interrupted. "I'm kind of bad at meeting parents, so I didn't want him to say anything about us until we'd been together a bit longer. It can be kind of intimidating."

"I don't see why. I'm a perfectly nice woman and you seem like a perfectly nice girl. How long have you two been together, then?"

"Only a couple of months," Ezra said quickly, feeling like this conversation was getting out of hand around him.

"And what do you do, Elizabeth?" Mrs Fitz asked. She had the same blue eyes as Ezra's, Aria noticed, but there was something about them…a sharpness, that wasn't present in Ezra's. Or maybe that was just because of the way she was staring at Aria.

"Oh – I'm a student," Aria said.

"At Hollis," Ezra added quickly.

"Oh, so that's where you two met?"

"Yes," said Ezra, feeling this would be easiest, at the same time as Aria said, "No". Mrs Fitz raised an eyebrow.

"Well, er…we didn't actually meet AT Hollis, but we met through a, um, mutual friend from there, so I guess it was kind of both," Ezra made up on the spot. It was actually kind of worrying how easily he could lie to his mother. He just hoped she hadn't seen Aria's baby bump. If she had, she hadn't let on, but he never could tell with his mother. It would be exactly like her to let them think she hadn't noticed, and then bring it up at the most inopportune time, just to make them squirm.

"Well, I – er – I guess I should go," Aria said, uncertainly.

"Oh, no, don't go just yet. You just got here," Ezra said, grabbing her hand and looking pleadingly at her.

"Yeah, but your Mom's come all this way, and you two haven't seen each other for ages. I'm sure you want to catch up," Aria replied. _That, and this is incredibly awkward._ "I'll be back later. Do you want me to bring you anything? Can you have your laptop here?"

"I'm sure I can. That would be great, my love." Ezra smiled at her, and she back at him, lost in each other's eyes for a moment, until a movement from Ezra's mother reminded them that she was still there.

"Ok, well, I'll be off then." Aria bent down and gave Ezra a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later. Mrs Fitz," she held out her hand, "it was great to meet you."

"Likewise, Elizabeth," Mrs Fitz replied. Aria nodded and left the room.

_Why do I feel like she was scrutinizing me?_ she thought as she walked down the corridor.

Back in Ezra's room, he was saying pretty much the same thing. "You know, your eyes can bore holes in someone, Mom."

"What? I didn't do anything. But of course I'm _interested_ in her. I seem to recall asking you just a few weeks ago if you were seeing anyone, and you told me no, point blank. Then I arrive here and see this girl practically in your bed with you. You can't blame me for wondering why you were hiding her."

"Mom. I wasn't _hiding_ her," Ezra protested. "I just didn't want to talk about it too soon. I wanted to see if things were going to work out." _I'm the worst person in the world. Lying to my mother straight to her face._

"Well, clearly she is a lot younger than you," Mrs Fitz mused.

"She's not that young," Ezra said quickly. "She's nineteen."

"That's what I meant. Of course, she LOOKS about fifteen, but obviously she's over eighteen… still, there's a big difference between nineteen and twenty-four, Ezra-"

"Mom, age isn't a problem with us, okay?" Ezra interrupted. "Why are you trying to make it one the second you walk in the door?"

"I'm not. I'm just thinking of the future…when you're ready to settle down and have a family, and she wants to party it up around Europe, don't come crying to me."

"For goodness' sakes, Mom! We've been dating for a few months! We're not worried about The Future yet," Ezra lied, his anger at his mother's interference adding conviction to his statement.

His mother gave him a shrewd look. "Oh, be honest, Ezra. I can see it all over your face. You're completely crazy about this girl."

"So?"

"So don't tell me you haven't at least been daydreaming about a future with her, because I won't believe you."

"Mom, can we just not talk about this right now?" Ezra asked, suddenly worn out. "I crashed into a wall last night, and all you can talk about is my love life. I appreciate your concern, I really do," he added quickly as he saw the hurt look on his mother's face, "but I just want to sleep now. These pain meds I'm on aren't exactly keeping me awake."

Mrs Fitz nodded. "I understand. I'll go to my hotel room and shower and change, and then come back later."

"You've booked a hotel? You could have stayed at my place," Ezra objected, though secretly relieved that she wasn't. His mother laughed.

"Oh, please! Me in your delightfully Bohemian bachelor pad…I don't think so, dear. Anyway, wouldn't that have been awkward for Elizabeth?"

"She doesn't live with me, Mom, if that's what you're getting at," Ezra said wearily.

"But she stays over sometimes?"

"Mom…did you miss the part where I really don't want to talk about this now?"

"I'm sorry, dear," his mother said cheerfully. "I'll let you sleep now. I'll be back tonight. Ta-ta!"

Ezra lay back and closed his eyes as his mother left the room.

_What more can life throw at me today?_ he wondered as he fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 One More Secret

Aria was halfway back to Ezra's apartment when she realized two things: one, she had no idea when to go back to the hospital with Ezra's laptop without the risk of running into his mother again; and two, she was going to be late home again, so she'd have to let her mother know something. Only, what? She didn't want to chance saying she was working after school with Ezra again, because her mother was bound to hear at some point that he had been in an accident. And anyway, it was a bit soon to start using her "spend the afternoon with Ezra free" cards. She didn't want her mother to get suspicious or annoyed. But what other reason could she possibly have for not coming home straight after school?

It was only as she pulled out the key Ezra had given her and entered his apartment that it came to her: she could just tell the truth. Not the whole, actual truth, of course, but enough. In fact, Hanna had already said it at school that morning. Mr Fitz was in the hospital, so the class had created a deputation to take him some gifts and flowers and things. And naturally she'd been voted to go, since she was his favourite…okay, that sounded a bit weird. Whatever; she didn't need to mention WHY she was going. Her mother would just assume. And of course she wouldn't mind Aria going, because she was indebted to Mr Fitz for the time _he'd _gone to the hospital with _them_. In fact, Aria thought smugly, it was only right and fair that she should visit him. She pulled out her phone and sent a brief message to her mother.

_Mr Fitz in hospital after car accident. Going to see him after school. That ok?_

That done, she dumped her bag on the sofa and looked around her. There was Ezra's laptop on the coffeetable, still open. Of course, he'd only meant to be out for ten minutes last night while he picked up some food. Unfortunately, that probably also meant that the laptop battery was completely flat. Aria tapped the keyboard and pressed the power button, but nothing happened; it was dead all right. Aria sighed and plugged it in to the power point behind the sofa that she'd seen Ezra use before. Probably the hospital had somewhere to plug it in (you kind of needed power points in a hospital, after all) but who knew. Anyway, if she let the laptop charge up a bit before she took it back to Ezra, it was more likely that his mother would have left by the time she got there. And it was kind of nice being in Ezra's apartment by herself. If things had been different; if she'd been older, she realized, she'd probably be living here with Ezra by now. This would be _their _apartment. Where they'd bring their baby home from the hospital. Not that there was exactly space for a baby in here. They'd probably have to get a bigger place. Somewhere with a room for the baby's nursery. She could decorate it; she had a few ideas. But could they afford a bigger apartment…?

Aria shook her head. This was stupid; she wasn't moving in with Ezra, so the problem didn't exist. She had to stop thinking about things like that. The baby was going to live at home with her and Byron and Ella and Mike, and managing to get Ezra even to see the baby was going to be difficult. Somehow the usual "I'm staying over at Spencer's" story wouldn't be as believable with a newborn in tow. You couldn't just go out somewhere with a baby. She wouldn't be able to say "Mom, I'm just going shopping", or "Mom, I'm going to study with the girls", and just stroll off with the baby tucked under her arm. It was an epic undertaking of packing; of strollers and diapers and feeding bottles and blankets and baby powder and who knew what else babies needed. Not to mention naptime and feeding time. Ugh. This was going to be _hard_.

Aria sat down on the sofa, suddenly feeling exhausted. She looked at her watch. Still a half hour before school got out. She might as well play it safe and leave then; then if anyone saw her at the hospital this time around, the timing would make perfect sense. And hopefully Ezra's mother would be gone by then, too. She leaned back and looked out of the window, and without intending to, closed her eyes. In less than a minute, she was asleep.

##

When Ezra woke up, he lay still for a few moments, trying to adjust his eyes to the afternoon sun that was streaming through his window. Then, hearing a movement from the chair beside his bed, he turned his head.

"Aria?" he asked, sleepily.

"No, it's just me, I'm afraid." His mother's sharp voice jolted Ezra back into full consciousness.

"Mom!" he said guiltily. "I didn't know you were back."

"Clearly. You were asleep when I arrived, so I thought I'd let you sleep while I got some reading done." She waved one of the latest bestsellers at him. "I figured you'd wake up sooner or later. No one can sleep properly in a hospital, with nurses and doctors and people wandering in and out every five minutes. Or making a noise outside. Who's Aria?"

"What?" Ezra said, trying to sound surprised and innocent, and failing.

"When you woke up you said "Aria". I'm assuming you weren't dreaming about singing in an opera, so I can only assume Aria's a girl. Another one you've been keeping secret from me, no doubt."

"Oh, come on, Mom!" Ezra said with real exasperation, but also trying to buy time. What on earth could he tell his mother about Aria? And then it struck him, just as it had struck Aria earlier: the truth, in this instance, could work. As long as Aria remained Elizabeth to his mother, the real Aria could be just what she was supposed to be: his student, and nothing more.

"Well? If you don't tell me, I'm just going to continue assuming the worst," Mrs Fitz said blandly.

Ezra sighed. "Aria's one of my students, Mom. I teach her English. She came by earlier to see how I was…but I must have dozed off, and when I woke up I thought she was still here. That's all."

"Hmm," was all his mother said in reply.

"Hmmm? What's "hmmm"?" Ezra demanded. He didn't like it when his mother said things like "hmmm" and "oh" without elaborating. It always meant there was more, in her head, to the story.

"Oh, nothing. I just think it's strange that a student would come and visit you in hospital, that's all," Mrs Fitz said, disapprovingly. "In my day we wouldn't have done anything like that."

"Yes, well, it's different now, Mom," Ezra sighed. "It's a lot more relaxed; and anyway, I have a great relationship with some of these kids. Aria, for instance, is a really great student and she has the potential to be a brilliant writer. I'm helping her with some stories she's writing."

"Hmm," Mrs Fitz said again, but what else she meant by that Ezra didn't get a chance to ask, because at that moment there was a brief knock on the door, which then opened to reveal the last person Ezra wanted to see: Ella Montgomery.

"Hi, Mr Fitz!" she said brightly, coming inside, and then, as she saw Ezra's mother, she said quickly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Oh no, it's no problem," Ezra replied politely, trying to decide which was worse: his mother plying him with questions about Aria, or Aria's mother turning up. All he could hope for now was that Aria didn't decide to come back right while both their mothers were in the room. That would completely and utterly screw things up. They both knew too much, separately. Ella knew that Aria was sixteen, pregnant and in Ezra's class, and his mother knew that "Elizabeth" was his girlfriend…except if she arrived in the room while her mother was there, she wouldn't be Elizabeth much longer. He had to do something to get at least one of the women to leave, and fast.

"Aria texted me that you were in a car accident," Ella explained. "And I work just a few blocks down the road, so when I finished work a bit early I thought it was the least I could do, to pop in and see how you were."

"You didn't have to do that," Ezra said. _You really, really didn't. _ "Oh, I'm sorry. This is my mother, Rachel Fitz. Mom, this is Ella Montgomery."

The two women shook hands with each other over Ezra's bed. He couldn't help thinking how bizarre this was; in another world these two women would be bonding over the impending birth of their first grandchild, but here he was, keeping the baby's existence a secret from his own mother, and the baby's paternity a secret from Aria's. It was all too complicated. That stupid car accident had really messed things up.

"It's great to meet you, Mrs Fitz," Ella was saying.

"Likewise. So, your daughter's the famous Aria, is she? From Ezra's English class?"

Ella looked surprised. "Yes, yes she is. Did you meet her when she came by earlier?"

"Oh, no, I'm afraid I missed her. But Ezra told me all about her when he woke up just now, didn't you, Ezra?"

"I was just explaining what a great student she is," Ezra said, helplessly. "My mother thought it was… odd that she came by."

"Oh, well after all, we both owe you from last time," Ella laughed. Then, as Mrs Fitz raised an eyebrow at this, she continued, "Your son was a great help to Aria and me a couple of months ago, Mrs Fitz. Aria collapsed at a school conference, and Ezra was kind enough to help me get her to hospital – here, in fact – and he stayed with her the whole time I was filling out paperwork and things. I don't know what we would have done without you, Ezra," she turned back to him. "I was such a wreck that night that I couldn't think straight."

"Oh…no, don't thank me. I just did what anyone would have done," Ezra muttered, embarrassed.

"And he's modest, too," Ella said, winking at Mrs Fitz. "But that's why I felt I just had to come by and see how he was doing. Aria didn't tell me anything except that you were in a car accident, and she didn't reply when I texted her back to ask how you were doing. So I thought I'd pop in and see for myself. I must say I'm relieved to see you looking so well. I'm sure Aria was, too."

"Oh – yes, she was," Ezra said, not sure what to say to this.

"Anyway, I won't disturb you any longer," Ella said. "I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

"Not at all. I was going to leave soon anyway," Mrs Fitz said briskly. "Probably best to be home before nightfall, since I don't really know this town."

"Oh, well if you need a ride somewhere-" Ella began, but Mrs Fitz shushed her.

"Not at all, dear. I have a rental car with GPS, and my hotel's not too far from here. Goodbye, Ezra," she said, bending over and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Goodbye," Ezra replied. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Don't sound so excited," Mrs Fitz said, drily.

"It's hard to be excited about anything when you're in a hospital bed with a broken collar bone," Ezra retorted. "I don't think I've moved my shoulders since last night. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep."

"Did your secret girlfriend bring you your laptop, at least?" Mrs Fitz asked.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "No, she didn't; not yet."

"Secret girlfriend, huh?" Ella said, interestedly.

"Well, secret until I arrived at an inopportune moment earlier today," Mrs Fitz said, looking at Ezra pointedly.

"Mom, for the last time, I haven't been keeping Elizabeth a secret," Ezra replied, making sure to mention the name, since Ella was there. "I just hadn't told you yet."

"Sounds the same to me," Mrs Fitz said abruptly. "I suppose," she turned to Ella conspiratorially, "that your daughter does exactly the same, and never tells you about her boyfriends either."

Ezra could feel himself blushing, but luckily neither woman was looking at him at the moment.

"Yes, well…at the moment, she's not allowed to have one anyway," Ella said. "Let's just say there was a bit of an issue in that regard recently."

Mrs Fitz looked curious, but to Ezra's relief she didn't press the matter.

"Well, I'll be off, then," she said. "Goodbye, Ezra. Goodbye Mrs…Montgomery, was it?"

"That's right."

Mrs Fitz nodded, and swept out of the room. Ezra heaved an audible sigh of relief.

"Well. She seems…nice," Ella said.

"Nice and difficult, you mean? Go on, you can say it," Ezra chuckled, and then groaned as the movement sent a sharp pain through his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Ella asked, concerned.

"Oh, yes. I just have to remember not to move, ever again," Ezra said wryly.

"It'll come right. One of my friends broke her collar bone in college, and it actually healed pretty fast, after the first week or so."

"That's…not at all comforting," Ezra said, but with a smile. There was a pause.

"Well, I'd better go," Ella said. "Make sure my bad daughter's home like she's supposed to be." She picked up her coat and turned to go.

"Mrs..I mean, Ella," Ezra stopped her. "Please don't think I'm interfering. I probably don't have any right to say this, but…Aria's not a bad…kid." He hated himself for using the word. She wasn't a kid, she was a _woman_, the woman he loved. "She's a good kid who made a stupid mistake…and even then, nothing bad would have come of it if it hadn't been for, well, for want of a better word, an accident. And she's paying for it every moment."

"So what are you trying to tell me?" Ella asked.

"Just…don't be too hard on her. She's punishing herself a lot as it is."

"Part of me doesn't want to be," Ella confessed. "But I'm stuck in the middle, somewhere between a mother who is shocked and appalled that her daughter could do something like this, and needs to let her know that, and a mother who just wants to hold her little girl close and tell her it's going to be all right, and that we still love her. And lurking around there somewhere is the mother who's going to be a grandmother, and wants to be excited about it, but can't be, because her daughter's too damn _young_ to be having a baby. And I don't know which one of these mothers I'm supposed to BE. You have no idea how unbelievably hard it is."

_You have no idea how much I do know_, Ezra thought. Aloud, he simply said, "You know what? I think you should tell Aria all that. Exactly what you just said to me. Trust me; she'd appreciate it. Because right now she's just as confused as you about how she's supposed to feel."

Ella looked at him quizzically. "You've been talking to her a lot about this, haven't you?"

"Just a bit," Ezra said uncomfortable. Yet again he was letting on how well he knew Aria, when he should just have kept his mouth shut. "She needed someone to talk to, and I was happy to listen. I figured some of it out by myself, too."

"I'm so glad she has you in her life," Ella said suddenly and surprisingly. "An adult she can trust and talk to."

_This could not be more awkward. _"Oh..no, it's nothing, really," Ezra said, embarrassed.

Ella looked sad for a moment, then smiled. "I really had better go now," she said. "Get well soon, Ezra."

"Thanks," Ezra replied "And thanks for coming."

Ella nodded and left the room. Closing the door carefully behind her, she walked down the corridor, deep in thought. She wished she could have a little of the trust her daughter so clearly gave to Ezra Fitz, but of course, she was the parent, the responsible one, and she had to be the bad guy for Aria's own good. It was all very well for Ezra; he could just listen and nod and agree, but she was the one who had to make the decisions, and deal with this unexpected curveball Aria had thrown at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she gasped as she bumped into someone around a corner. Then, as she looked at the person, "Aria? What are you doing here?"

"Mom? What are YOU doing here?" Aria gasped.

"I asked you first. You should be at home by now. I said you could come and visit Mr Fitz after school, and then you were to go straight home. He said you were already here earlier."

"You went to see him?" Aria said, fearfully. What on earth was her mother going to visit Ezra for? And what could they possibly have talked about?

"Yes, I did. I thought it was the right thing to do, after all the help he gave us the night we brought you here. And you still haven't told me why you're still here."

"Oh – he – Mr Fitz – asked me to bring him his laptop," Aria explained, holding it up as evidence.

Ella frowned. "I thought he said his girlfriend was bringing it."

"Oh – she was, but she came back and said she couldn't find it at – at his apartment, and then Mr Fitz remembered he'd left it in his classroom, and since I was here I volunteered to go and get it from school," Aria made up hastily. "His girlfriend wouldn't have known where it was or anything, so I figured it was easier if I just did it. It was the least I could do, as you said."

"Oh. Well, hurry up and go give it to him, then," Ella replied. "I'll wait here for you."

"Oh…you don't need to do that, Mom. I have my own car here, remember?" Aria said quickly. "I'll see you at home."

"All right. But don't be too long," Ella replied, still frowning, wondering why something that she couldn't quite put her finger on felt odd. "Come home as soon as you've given the laptop to Mr Fitz. Don't stay chatting."

"Yes, all right, Mom," Aria replied. "I haven't forgotten I'm still grounded. I'll be home right after you, I promise."

"Well, good," Ella replied. "Goodbye!" she called, as Aria turned and beat a hasty exit towards Ezra's room.

"Bye Mom," Aria called, not turning back, though. Ella sighed and went on her way.

Aria opened the door to Ezra's room carefully. "Oh, thank god you're alone!" she said. "I was terrified your mother would still be here."

Ezra grinned. "You just missed _your_ mother, too."

"Oh, I didn't. I ran into her just outside," Aria pulled a face. "What on earth did she want?"

"Actually, just to say hi and see how I was doing," Ezra said truthfully. "I don't think she'll ever stop being indebted to me for the night we brought you here…well, not unless she found out about us, of course. That would definitely put a damper on her enthusiasm for me."

"Don't! Don't say things like that!" Aria said fiercely. Ezra looked surprised.

"I'm sorry, my love. Apparently that was a very bad joke. Come here."

He held out his good arm, and Aria came and sat on the bed next to him. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just been...a really crappy day, what with you being in here, and your mom, and then MY mom…All this lying is getting to me, Ezra. And just now, outside, my Mom was looking at me so strangely. And so was your Mom, earlier-"

"Oh, that's how she looks at everybody," Ezra assured her. Aria smiled.

"So you don't think she suspects anything?"

"I don't think she noticed you were pregnant, if that's what you mean," Ezra replied. He ran his hand over Aria's bump. "You're not too big yet, luckily. With more luck she'll be gone in a couple of days, and she'll never have to know."

"So you're not going to tell her anything, ever?" Aria demanded.

Ezra shrugged. "No need to. We're not close, and we never really were. After my parents divorced when I was twelve, my mother moved out, and my brother and I stayed with our father. A year or so later, she took off to Seattle with some wealthy businessman, and she's been there ever since. Andrew and I only saw her a couple of times a year."

"Oh, Ezra, I'm so sorry," Aria said.

He shrugged. "It's fine. We were always closer with our Dad, anyway. Mother was a bit too…flighty. But that's why I'm so determined to be in this baby's life. I don't want to miss anything. I want him or her to know that he or she has two committed parents, no matter how strange the circumstances."

Aria ran her fingertips down Ezra's cheek. "I love you, Ezra Fitz," she declared.

"I know," he smiled. "And I love both of you."

Aria leaned in and kissed him, and then reluctantly got off the bed. "My Mom ordered me to go home the second I dropped your laptop off. So I'd better get going. She's being so anal about this grounded thing."

"Your mom's having a tough time dealing with this too, Aria," Ezra said. "She just wants what's best for you."

"If only she knew what that was," Aria sighed. "But since we can't tell her, I just wish she would trust _me _to know what's best for me."

"She will. Just give her time," Ezra assured her. He pulled her back towards him, and placed his hand on her back, pushing her closer to him, so that her belly was on level with his pillow. He kissed it softly. "Goodnight, baby," he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."

He looked up at Aria, who was smiling down at him. "Same to you, my love," he said, and Aria left the room feeling happier than she had in quite some time. 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 One More Secret**

Over the next few days, it seemed to Aria that Ella was being extremely difficult. More difficult than usual, that is. Two days after that eventful day at the hospital, she announced her intention of dropping Aria off at school and fetching her again afterwards, and try as she might, Aria couldn't get her to budge.

"But Mom," she argued, for about the thirtieth time, "I'll come straight home after school. I promise! You can even call me on the landline to make sure I'm here. You don't need to babysit me."

Ella gave her daughter a strange look. "I'd rather do it this way," was all she said, however.

Aria wasn't at all pleased about this. The previous day she'd left early for school, and had managed to stop off at the hospital and see Ezra on her way. She hadn't wanted to chance going after school, not after the last two days, so she hadn't been able to see him that afternoon or evening, and the internet access in the hospital was so sporadic that they hadn't even been able to skype properly. She missed him so much. And she'd fully intended to keep going in the mornings on the way to school, until Ezra was released in two day's time. Then she'd stop off at his apartment instead. But now her mother had thrown a spanner in the works.

Aria tried again. "Isn't it enough that I'm grounded till further notice?" she demanded. "What do you think's going to happen if I drive myself to school and back?"

"You tell me," Ella said, with that same odd expression on her face.

"What are you talking about?"

Ella sighed. "Oh, please, Aria. You don't think I didn't notice how early you left yesterday? And that you were trying to do the same thing again today?"

"I- I needed Spencer's help with some math homework," Aria protested.

"Really."

"Yes, really," Aria repeated nervously.

"And when you were so late back at the hospital on Monday?"

"I told you; I went back to school to fetch Mr Fitz's laptop," Aria replied with more assurance.

"Uhuh. And that took you nearly two hours?"

_Shit. I was asleep all that time at Ezra's apartment, and she's gone and worked out the times and seen they don't add up._

"Okay, so I ran into some friends at school and lost track of time," Aria said. "I know I was breaking your rules. It just happened. I went back for the laptop and I just forgot."

"Aria," Ella said. "Why do I get the feeling there's something going on here that you're not telling me?"

Aria's heart sank. "There's nothing going on, Mom."

"I have to say, I'm finding it a bit difficult to believe you," Ella said.

Despite the fact that Ella had every right to feel that way, considering how much Aria was keeping from her, Aria couldn't help but feel shocked and hurt. "Why?" she whispered.

"I'm going to ask you a question, and I need you to tell me the truth," Ella replied.

_Oh, shit._

"Do you know who the father of your baby is?" Ella asked, her eyes on Aria's.

This was it. The moment she could confess everything, stop the lying, stop the secrets. What a relief it would be to just come clean, tell her mother everything, how much she loved Ezra, how much he wanted to be a part of the baby's life, and how happy they were together. In time, everyone would see that, if they looked past all the issues of age and legality. And the secret she had been hiding inside for so many months would finally be out, and she'd be able to breathe again. And "A" would have no more hold on her. It would be so much easier just to let it all out now.

"No, I don't," Aria replied, meeting her mother's eyes levelly. She couldn't tell. She just couldn't. There was too much at stake.

Ella narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Aria's face, and then sighed and looked away.

"All right," she said, with no emotion in her voice. "Get your coat. I'm still taking you to school."

##

"My Mom suspects something," Aria said as she met up with Spencer, Emily and Hanna at their lockers.

"What? And how?" Hanna demanded.

"I don't know! But she's insisting on bringing me to school every day, so that I can't go anywhere on my own. And then – this morning, out of the blue, she asked me if I knew who the father was."

"Holy crap. What did you say?" said Spencer.

"That I didn't know, of course! I'm not that stupid," Aria retorted. "But clearly she knows something's up. And now I don't know when I'm going to be able to see Ezra."

"If you like, I could drive you there during lunch," Spencer offered. "It won't be for long, but at least you can see him."

Aria flung her arms around Spencer. "Spence, you're the best friend ever! Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not," Spencer said, laughing. "When does he get out, by the way?"

"The day after tomorrow, they say," Aria replied. "But they've booked him off teaching for at least another week. It's going to be hard not seeing him here every day, and not being able to go over to his apartment either."

"We'll work something out," Emily said. "At any rate, absence will make the heart grow fonder…or something like that."

"If I don't die first," Aria retorted.

"We'd better get to class," Spencer said. "Come on, you guys."

"I'll be there in a minute," Aria said. "I've just had an idea. I'm going to call the hospital and see if they can put me through to Ezra. Then I can tell him when I'm coming."

"Oh. All right. But be quick, Aria. You've skipped enough classes lately," Emily warned.

"Yeah yeah, I'll only be a second," said Aria, who was already scrolling through her contacts for the hospital's number. "It's ringing…go on, I'll be there when I'm done. Oh, hi. Could you put me through to room 12 in Ward C, please? Ezra Fitz. It's his girlfriend."

The other three gave it up and walked off their first class, leaving Aria in the rapidly-emptying corridor.

"Hello?"

"Ezra! It's me."

"Hey, beautiful! Where are you?"

"At school. My Mom decided to drop me off and fetch me. I think she suspects something."

"Shit. What, exactly? "Something" in general, or "something" specific?"

"I THINK something in general. Like, I don't think she suspects anything to do with you, but this morning she asked me again if I knew who the baby's father was."

"Holy crap."

"That's what I thought. I didn't say anything, of course. But she knows something's up."

"How?"

"I don't know. She realized I'd been somewhere else between visiting you and coming back with your laptop. I told her I ran into friends, but I don't think she bought it."

"Aria, we're going to have to be doubly careful now, that's all," Ezra said, seriously. "Make sure you know where she is and how long she's going to be there everytime you see me, or even talk to me on the phone. Make sure you log out of skype whenever we're finished talking. Don't ever let her get hold of your phone…in fact, delete any texts from me that you've got saved on there, and do the same with any new ones as soon as you've read them. Just to be safe."

"Safe doesn't always work. It didn't when I got pregnant."

"It's better than nothing, okay? And stop worrying so much. It's not good for you or the baby. If we're careful, there's no reason anyone ever has to find out."

"Yeah. I hope so. Oh listen, Spencer's going to bring me by at lunchtime. That's the real reason I called."

"If that's okay with her, that would be fantastic," Ezra said, pleased. "I missed you so much yesterday."

"Me too."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have a new phone. My mom brought it by last night," Ezra said. "My old one's gone AWOL; probably someone at the car impound stole it. Oh well, I was due for an upgrade soon, anyway. Here's the new number."

Aria scribbled it down on her hand. "That's great. Now I can text you whenever I'm lonely. Which sounds like it's gonna be most of the time for the next while."

"I'm sorry, my love. You know I'd be there for you every minute if I could."

"I know. Oh crap, I'd better get to class before I'm totally late."

"Better run, then. I'll see you soon, Aria. I love you."

"You too," Aria said. She snapped her phone shut and stuffed it into her bag.

"Aria?"

"Mom! What – what are you doing here?" Aria gasped. Her mother was standing right behind her. How long had she been listening? What had she heard?

"You forgot your coat," Ella said, holding it up as proof. "I was worried you'd get cold."

"Oh…well, thanks, Mom. I gotta get to-"

"Who was that on the phone, Aria?" Ella interrupted.

"What? No one, just a friend. Mom, I really have to go."

"Same friend you lost track of time with the other day?" Ella demanded.

"Mom, I really don't have time for this-"

"Fine. Go. Go to class," Ella said abruptly, and without saying another word, she turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Aria standing alone, uncertainly, in the middle of the empty corridor.

##

"I am so screwed," Aria muttered as she and Spencer arrived at the hospital. "Goodness knows what my Mom heard, but I'm sure she heard enough to suspect that I was talking to a guy. I don't think I mentioned his name, at least. But…I don't know."

"So, ask her what she heard."

"Are you crazy? _By the way, mom, what exactly did you hear? I need to know how many lies to come up with to explain everything. _ Seriously, that is not going to work," Aria snapped.

"Okay, okay. Just don't worry about it now. You've hardly got any time to see Mr Fitz as it is, so you might as well enjoy it. Just not TOO much, okay?" she grinned.

"It's a hospital, Spence. I don't think they look favourably on too much…enjoyment,' Aria grinned back. "I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes."

"Sure thing."

Aria ran quickly up the stairs and down the winding corridors to Ezra's room. Well, as quickly as she _could_ run. Maybe she wasn't that big yet, in relation to other pregnant women, but she could definitely feel the bulk of the baby when she tried to do anything like move quickly, or even stand for long periods of time. Aside from that, she kind of liked being pregnant now. In the physical sense, anyway. She didn't feel like a huge fat whale, like women on tv always seemed to complain they did. She _liked_ having the baby bump. Not that she liked people knowing she was pregnant, and looking at her judgmentally, but she loved the bump itself. And she loved the way Ezra loved it, too. He'd always looked at her like she was beautiful, but now that she was carrying his baby he looked at her like she was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen.

Aria arrived at Ezra's door and opened it.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Ezra's face lit up, and he tossed aside the magazine he'd been reading. "Great timing; my mother just left about twenty minutes ago."

"Thank goodness for that," Aria replied fervently. She came over to the bed, and Ezra shifted over to make room for her.

"I missed you so much," he said, and kissed her softly on the lips. Then, as he broke away, Aria pulled him back in and kissed him properly, for a good two minutes.

"Whoa, slow down there," Ezra protested as she pulled away. "Remember I'm an invalid over here."

"Hmmm...maybe this is what Spencer meant by enjoying myself too much," Aria smiled.

Ezra looked confused. "What?"

"Never mind, long story, and we don't have much time," Aria replied, looking at her watch. "I have to be back downstairs in exactly ten minutes."

"That sucks," Ezra sighed, pulling her closer to him. "I just want to be here with you and hold you all day."

"Me too. Somehow, when I'm with you, I forget why the world would be against us."

"That's because it feels so right," Ezra replied, squeezing her as tightly as he could with one arm.

"Sometimes I wish we could just leave Rosewood and go somewhere else, and just be together," Aria said. "Somewhere no one knows us, and no one would judge us. And we'd have the baby and be just like any normal couple."

"Believe me, I've thought about it," Ezra replied. "But you're sixteen. You're in school. And you can't just walk away from your family."

"Sometimes it seems like it would be easier than keeping this secret from them," Aria sighed.

"Yes, it would. But the easiest thing is seldom the right thing."

"Neither is lying."

"I know. But when telling the truth will ruin so many people's lives, what do you do?"

"I don't know," Aria admitted.

"Me neither. And that's why we're stuck in this position."

"I guess all we can hope for is that the next two years go really, really fast," Aria said. "After that no one will be able to stop us being together."

"I can't wait," Ezra replied, kissing the top of her head. For a minute they lay there in silence, just being with each other, and then Aria's phone buzzed loudly.

_Two minutes! Spence_

"Crap, I have to go," Aria said unwillingly, climbing off the bed. "We need to get back to school in time for our next class."

"When can you come again?" Ezra asked hopefully.

"If I can get Spencer or one of the others to bring me, tomorrow same time. Otherwise…I don't know. My Mom is making things really hard. But at least we can talk on the phone now."

"Call me later when it's safe, then," Ezra said. "I love you."

"Love you too," Aria smiled, and left.

##

"Only two minutes late; I'm actually impressed," Spencer said, as she reversed out of the parking space.

"Thanks for bringing me, Spence. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Actually…I get it, Aria. At first, I thought you were completely crazy, to be getting involved with a teacher. And I thought it was totally irresponsible of Mr Fitz to let things go as far as they did. But, now, well…"

"What?"

"You should see your face when you talk about him, is all. Or now, when you've just come from seeing him. You look like you're on cloud 9."

Aria smiled. "It is kind of like that."

"Oh, and by the way, your lipstick's kind of all over the place. You'd better fix that up before we go back to class."

Aria chuckled, and pulled out her lipstick and a tiny mirror.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," she remarked as she saw her face.

"I told you not to enjoy yourself too much. Now hurry up; we're here."

Aria gave her lips one last swipe of gloss, and then got out the car.

"We'll just be in time for English," Spencer said.

"Pity it's that awful old hag though."

"Yeah…I've got to say, I'm appreciating Mr Fitz more and more every day now," Spencer laughed.

"Me too!" Aria giggled. "In fact –"

"Aria," Spencer said quietly. They had reached the stairs leading up to the main entrance of the school, and Aria stopped short at her friend's tone, and looked up to see what she was looking at.

"Hello girls," Ella said.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 One More Secret**

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Aria demanded for the second time that day, but a little more nervously this time. "Are you – are you_ following_ me?"

"Should I be?" Ella asked, staring unflinchingly into her daughter's eyes. Aria looked away first, unable to hold that searching gaze.

"No! We were just – I mean we just went –"

"To get lunch," Spencer said hurriedly.

"Uhuh. Something wrong with the cafeteria?" Ella enquired.

"Um… no, but the food was making Aria feel sick," Spencer invented on the spot. "But I said she had to eat for the baby's sake, so I took her out to get something."

"And what did you get?" Ella asked congenially. Spencer and Aria exchanged glances.

"Just sandwiches from that new deli on Harris Street," Aria replied. This was ridiculous. If only her mother would stop asking her so many damn questions, she wouldn't have to keep making up story upon story, lie upon lie. It was really starting to become impossible to keep track of them all. But she had to, because the consequences of the truth were worse.

"Is that right?' Ella said, leaning against the wall, as though she had all the time in the world.

"Yes! But Mom, we really have to go. We are going to be _so_ late for English, if we're not already," Aria said desperately.

"Oh, of course. Spencer, you go along, and explain to your teacher that I've had to detain Aria for a few minutes."

"But Mom, Ms Beale hates it when we're late. Can't we talk about … whatever it is… after school?" Aria demanded, while Spencer hesitated, not sure what to do.

"I said, you can go, Spencer," Ella repeated firmly, and Spencer, with a final glance at Aria's desperate face, was forced to simply shrug and leave.

"Mom, seriously. What's going on?" Aria asked, with as much assurance as she could muster.

"Why don't _you_ tell _me_?" Ella shot back.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Mom," Aria lied nervously.

"Really? Because I can't help thinking that you do, Aria."

"Why?" _Shit. What did her mother know? But how could she know anything? She and Ezra had been so careful._

"Let's just say, the last two times this happened, you already knew before I did," Ella said, opening up her purse.

"The last two times _what_ happened?" Aria demanded, genuinely confused now.

"The last two times someone in our family received one of these," Ella replied, drawing from her purse a folded up piece of paper, her eyes not leaving Aria's.

Aria stared, first at her mother, and then at the piece of paper, then back at her mother in growing dread as it dawned on her. No matter how careful she and Ezra had been, it didn't matter, if a certain someone wanted their secret to be known.

"Is that-?" she whispered, feeling her throat constricting, unable to finish the sentence. _A was back._

"Another anonymous letter? Yes," Ella said coldly, unfolding the paper. "Or, in this case, a picture."

Aria gasped as she realized exactly what her mother was holding in her hand. It was the picture that A had left for her and then stolen back out of her purse on the night she'd collapsed at the parent teacher conference. The one that labeled Ezra Fitz as the father of her baby.

Aria snatched the picture from her mother's hand, panicked. It was the same picture, but the message A had originally left her at the bottom had been torn off, and so, Aria realized with relief washing over her, had the name under the figure representing Ezra. Carefully torn out, so that it was obvious it had been done. And at the top a new message scrawled to Ella:

SOMEONE'S HIDING THE MISSING PIECE OF THEIR FAMILY TREE. A.

Aria stared at the paper, her hands shaking, until Ella plucked it from her fingers.

"It looks like I don't need to ask you if you've seen this before," Ella remarked. Aria, aware that she had completely given herself away, nodded.

"It's just a stupid picture that some guys in my class drew," she mumbled. "They were trying to get me angry enough that I'd tell them who the father of the baby is. They thought it was funny."

"What's funny is that this note makes it sound like you know," Ella said quietly.

Aria's eyes shot up to meet her mother's. "Is that why you were asking me about it this morning?" she demanded. "Why you've been acting weird all week? When did you get this?"

"The day before yesterday."

"You've had this for two days and you're only mentioning it now?" Aria gasped. _Fuck._ What had her mother been up to the last two days, then? Had she been following Aria ever since then? Had she seen anything?

"Why does it matter? Are you worried I've discovered something?" Ella said shrewdly.

"No, because there's nothing to discover!" Aria replied heatedly, her anger at A rising to the fore. How dare she mess with her life like this? Well, if A wanted to force Aria to admit the truth to her mother, she wasn't going to get the satisfaction. If A wanted Ella to find out about Ezra, she could spill the beans herself. Aria couldn't stop her. But she sure as hell wasn't going to do it herself. She wouldn't let A have that kind of control over her.

Ella sighed. "Aria, this picture – under the drawing of what's meant to be the father, you can see something's been torn out. It wasn't just blank there; you can see the very tips of some of the letters. Clearly someone wrote a name there. So I'm going to ask you again: who was it?"

"Mom, I told you! It was just some of the boys being stupid and immature," Aria insisted. She had to hold onto that story. "One of them wrote one of the other's names as a joke, and he tore it off. That's all. Really."

Ella stared at her daughter, but said nothing, and to Aria, the silence was more worrying than the accusations.

"Mom, you believe me, don't you?" Aria asked desperately.

Ella shook her head. "Honestly, Aria? I don't know what to believe."

"So you're going to believe some stupid teenage boys over me?"

"The thing is, Aria," Ella said, zipping the picture back into her purse, "whoever this "A" is, he or she was right the last two times. And, well, this note is pretty obviously referring to you. Add to that the fact that I found it on my desk in the gallery office, and that doesn't exactly make it look like it came from a couple of high school boys. So…."

"So…what?" Aria asked, tears in her eyes.

"So…I don't know. I'm going to have to think about this, and so are you," Ella replied. "Go to class. I'll see you outside here after school."

With that, she turned and walked away into the parking lot without looking back at her daughter.

Aria forced herself to blink away the rest of the tears. She wouldn't cry. Her mother didn't believe her… and rightly so. She had no right to cry; she was just as guilty as her mother suspected her to be, and it was all her own fault. She'd had sex with her teacher, and she'd lied about it. Right to her mother's face. Innumerable times. But what else could she do?

Aria slipped inside the building quietly. Could she even go to English now? Half the lesson was gone. Which would be worse, walking in halfway and trying to explain to Ms Beale where she'd been, and to the others why she looked so upset, or skipping the rest of the period entirely? The latter sounded far more appealing, but Aria had a worrying idea that her mother was still keeping tabs on her, and would find out if she missed class. She could even still be hanging around the building, for all Aria knew. After all, she was coming back later to pick her up. Aria sighed and went off determinedly to English. She wasn't going to let her mother have anything more of which to suspect her. She had quite enough already.

"Nice of you to join us, Miss Montgomery," Ms Beale said as Aria opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Ms Beale. My mother –"

"Yes, so I heard, "Ms Beale interrupted drily. "However, in the future I'd prefer it if my class wasn't disrupted by any more of your family members, living or unborn. Sit down."

Aria sat down, her face flaming, and her friends cast indignant looks at their substitute teacher. They could hardly say anything, though, and the lesson continued, Aria keeping her head well down for the duration. After the bell went, the trio crowded around her as they left the classroom.

"Sheesh, what a bitch," Emily said. "I can't wait for Mr Fitz to get back."

"You're preaching to the choir here," Aria responded gloomily. She'd always been a bit…well, eccentric, but she was a good student, so for the most part she was used to her teachers treating her as such. This harsh treatment from Ms Beale, who clearly thought of her as just another dumb pregnant teenager, hurt more than she cared to admit.

"So when IS Mr Fitz coming back?" Hanna demanded.

Aria cast a quick look round to make sure no one was listening. "They're saying he'll be released tomorrow, if he's ready," she said. "Then they're going to book him off for at least the whole of next week. I've told him he has to get back here as soon as he can, though."

"He'd better. I don't think I can take another week of that evil bitch," Hanna grumbled. "She gave me a C minus on that last essay. Are subs even _allowed_ to grade us, anyway?"

"Okay, ladies! Less chatter, more changing into gym clothes," Coach Smith called as they entered the gym for their next lesson. Hanna, Emily and Spencer sighed and went off to the locker rooms, while Aria, who had been steadily skipping gym class for weeks, looked uncertainly at the coach. This was the first time she'd shown up in class since the school at large had found out she was pregnant.

Coach Smith looked her up and down. "Well, at least now I know the reason you've been skipping my class, Miss Montgomery," was all she said, however. "I've been instructed to excuse you from this class until after the summer. That doesn't mean you don't get the joy of watching, though. You can take a seat on the bleachers over there."

Aria nodded and went over to sit down. She pulled out her phone to text Ezra. The dilemma she was having was whether or not to tell Ezra about the picture from A. Well, she couldn't tell him about the specific picture, of course, especially where it had originally come from, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell him part of the truth? She typed quickly.

_Mom got anon message that I know who the father is. Don't think she believes me anymore. Don't know what to do now._

Aria hit send and then put her phone on silent so that the coach wouldn't notice. A few seconds later her phone buzzed with a reply.

_What? Any idea who it was from? Please be careful. Delete all my messages. E_

Aria carefully deleted Ezra's message and then typed back.

_NO idea. Only ppl who know are Hanna, Spence & Em and it's not them. Someone must have found out._

Well, clearly. But months ago.

_Maybe we should just come clean – E._

Aria looked at this in horror. Was he crazy?

_No no no! Maybe they don't know and they're just trying to scare me into telling? Please Ezra, say nothing!_

She hit send, and Ezra's reply came back almost immediately.

_Ok. But we need to talk about this when you come tomorrow._

Shit. Just peachy. With her mother hovering around, Aria probably wouldn't be able to go see Ezra at lunch again the next day…or ever. Not until he was back at school, anyway, which was at least ten days from now. Not for the first time, Aria wished she'd never told her parents she was pregnant. Oh, but A had, anyway. Screw A, she thought miserably. Screw her and her evil doings, and her evil plan, whatever it was. Aria hit delete so hard she dropped the phone onto the floor. No one noticed, since the class was playing a loud game of… actually, she didn't even know what it was. Some kind of cross between basketball and dodgeball, it looked like. She didn't care, anyway. She picked up her phone and replied to Ezra.

_Don't know when I can come. Mom knows I was out at lunch. Stalking me at school. I hate this._

_I'm so sorry. I love you. Let me know. I miss you already.E_

_Me too, _Aria typed back. _They still releasing you tomorrow?_

_Looks like it. Mom taking me home then leaving next day. Driving me crazy. Wish you could be there when I get home._

Aria grinned._ As me or Elizabeth? _she typed.

_Whichever. I love you both equally,_ Ezra's reply said. Aria laughed out loud.

"Miss Montgomery? Fun as sitting out my class may be for you, it _is_ still my class, and therefore, no texting allowed," Coach Smith's voice interrupted her as she was typing a reply. "Put that away, please."

Aria sighed and stuffed her phone back into her bag, pressing send as she did so. _Same to you, _she'd typed.

_##_

After school, Ella was waiting, as promised, in the parking lot. Aria climbed into the car in silence.

"So….anything interesting happen at school today?" Ella asked.

Aria looked at her in disbelief. "What, since, like 90 minutes ago?" she replied sarcastically. "Let's see. Ms Beale was an evil bitch when I was late, I got to watch the others playing some game with a ball in gym, and then we learned about the reproductive cycle of a tapeworm. It was thrilling."

Ella sighed. "I'm just trying to make conversation."

"You don't need to bother. You've made it clear you don't believe me, and I've got nothing else to tell you, so I don't think we actually need to talk at all," Aria replied frostily.

Ella took a look at her daughter's stony face, and said no more. They pulled into the driveway of their house, still in silence. Aria got out and ran upstairs, locking herself in her room, and Ella sighed and went into the kitchen to begin dinner.

Aria opened her laptop and logged onto skype.

Aria: You there?

Ezra: Yes! You home now?

Aria: Yep. Courtesy of Mom's shuttle service.

Ezra:

Aria: I hate this.

Ezra: I have some good news, at least.

Aria: Ooh what?

Ezra: Doctor just came round, said I can go home TONIGHT.

Aria: OMG! So happy!

Ezra: Mom's taking me home, then leaving tomorrow.

Aria: So there's no one to look after you?

Ezra: It's fine! Luckily it's my left collarbone, so I can still do stuff with my right. I just have to rest up, not do too much.

Aria: Wish I could do it with you.

Ezra: Anytime.

Oh, you mean rest up? Yes, that too. :-P

Aria: I really want to come see you tonight.

Ezra: No way you can?

Aria: No. Mom's watching me like a hawk. Unless…

Ezra: Unless what?

Aria: I've had an idea. Need to make some calls. I'll let you know.

#disconnected#


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi, everyone. First off, I want to apologise for taking so incredibly long to get this next chapter up! I've received so many reviews and messages and I just couldn't respond to them all. Your response to this story is overwhelming, and I feel really guilty about leaving you in the lurch for so long. But February and March were so incredibly busy at work, and because I run my own business, I had to put that first. And my hubby's been ill the last few weeks, and with the stress of work and that, I haven't had time OR felt like writing. But then on Saturday morning I woke up feeling inspired (I had an Ezria dream...oooh) and I sat down and knocked out two chapters. So here you are; I hope you enjoy them!**

**PS - seven weeks till PLL is back on! I'm so excited I could cry.  
**

CHAPTER 25 ONE MORE SECRET

"Is this the stupidest thing we've ever done?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, it's right up there with blinding Jenna in a fire," Hanna retorted. "Relax, Em. It'll be fine."

"I'm just saying, this isn't the safest thing for Aria to be doing, and maybe we should be looking out for her instead of letting her do crazy stuff-"

"Emily? Calm down, I'm fine," came Aria's voice from above. "Now stop talking or someone will hear you. And hold the ladder still!"

Emily sighed and braced herself firmly against the foot of the ladder, and five seconds later Aria's feet appeared by her head. Spencer held out her hand to help her, and Aria jumped off neatly and easily.

"See? Easy as pie," Aria said, grinning. Emily heaved a sigh of relief.

"I was just so scared you'd fall and hurt the baby," she explained. "Pregnant people are just not supposed to be climbing down ladders from their bedroom windows in the middle of the night."

"It's nine-thirty, Em," Hanna pointed out.

"Well, whatever! It's dark and it's a garden ladder, and probably not the safest in the world," Emily retorted.

"Hey, that's my ladder you're talking about," Spencer retorted, pretending to be offended.

"Guys. Can we just get going, please?" Aria demanded. "I don't want to be gone too long."

"Okay. So here's the plan," Spencer said, taking charge. "We leave the ladder here on the ground so no one spots it leaning against your window. Everyone come back to my house, and Aria, you take my car to Mr Fi – Ezra's. When you come back, leave my car at my house and we'll all walk back here and get you safely up again. Okay?"

"Perfect," Aria said, smiling. "You guys are the best."

"Yeah yeah, we know. Just be back here by eleven-thirty at the latest, all right?" Hanna said. "My mom's been giving me uphill about being home before midnight."

"I promise," Aria said solemnly. "Did I mention you guys are the greatest?"

"Not in the last ten seconds," Spencer replied.

##++##

Fifteen minutes later, Aria knocked on the door of Ezra's apartment. He opened it almost immediately.

"Wow, that was fast," Aria commented.

"I couldn't wait to see you," Ezra replied, pulling her inside with his good arm and kicking the door closed behind him, and then leaning down to kiss her. "I missed you so much."

"You do know you saw me at lunchtime today," Aria replied, smiling, pushing some stray hair out of his eyes.

"In hospital time, that's at least three days," Ezra sighed, sinking down onto the sofa, leaving space for Aria to curl up beside him. "I can't tell you how great it is to be home."

Aria snuggled against him. "I'm just so glad you're here, safe at home. When I think about how bad it could have been –"

"Ssh," Ezra said, kissing her on the forehead. "Don't think about that. It's over now, and I'm okay. We're all okay, and I want you to concentrate on that."

Aria nodded, and Ezra reached his right arm down and placed it on her belly. "I know I can't come, but when is your next doctor's appointment?" he asked suddenly.

"Next week Friday, actually. My Mom's coming with me – at least, I guess she still is – but I wish it was you instead."

"Oh God, so do I," Ezra replied. "I knew I'd have to miss out on all this stuff once your parents found out, but it kind of sucks."

"I know. And Ezra – there's something else we need to decide."

"What's that?"

"The doctor said we can find out the baby's sex at this next scan," Aria replied, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. "And we've never discussed that. Do you want to know? Or do you want to be surprised?"

"Wow, I don't know," Ezra said, shifting so he could look down at Aria. "I can't believe it, but I've never even given a thought to whether I wanted to know or not. What do you want?"

"I don't know either," Aria confessed. "But it's just…if we do find out, I don't want to do it without you. I want us to find out together."

"You know that's probably never going to happen, right?" Ezra said. "I can't come with you to the doctor's, and, well, I'm definitely not going to be able to be there when the baby's born, so either way, you're going to know first."

"This completely sucks," Aria said sadly.

"Okay, that's enough of everything sucking for one night," Ezra declared, rousing himself. "You didn't come here for us to sit and cry over what can't be helped. I don't know if you're hungry, but I've ordered a giant bacon and banana pizza which should be here in the next few minutes, and we are going to eat that and have fun like a normal couple, before you have to be back. How did you manage to get out, anyhow?"

"The girls sneaked me out," Aria replied, carefully omitting the ladder part. Ezra didn't need to be freaked out by that for no reason. "My mom doesn't know, of course."

"Just be careful, okay? The more suspicious things you do, the more your mother will be watching."

"I think that's another thing that sucks, and should therefore not be talked about," Aria declared.

"I can't argue with that," Ezra said laughing. There was a knock at the door. "That must be our pizza. Would you mind? My wallet's on the kitchen counter over there."

"Of course", Aria said, jumping up. She grabbed the wallet and opened the door. "Hi….oh."

"Well, hello, Elizabeth," said Mrs Fitz.

"Oh…I'm sorry, we thought you were the pizza guy," Aria said confusedly. "I thought you'd left."

"I did. May I come in now?"

"Oh – yes, of course." Aria opened the door for Ezra's mother to come in, trying to position her body behind it.

Ezra clambered up from the sofa. "Mom? What are you doing back here? Is everything okay?"

"Of course, Ezra. I was halfway to the airport when I realized I'd left one of my bags behind, that's all. There's still plenty of time till check-in, so I decided to come back and get it. I must not have seen it behind – oh, there it is!" She pointed to a smallish carry-on bag peeking out from behind the sofa.

"Oh…well, that's good," Ezra said. "I'm sorry I didn't notice it before, or I'd have called you."

"Don't be silly, clearly you had other things on your mind," Mrs Fitz said, raising an eyebrow at Aria, who was standing behind the counter, trying to hide her tummy.

Mrs Fitz looked from Aria to Ezra and back again.

"So when were you planning on telling me?"

Era's mouth went dry. "Tell you what?"

"Oh, for goodness' sakes! Get out from behind that counter, Elizabeth."

Aria, white as a sheet, exchanged glances with Ezra, who nodded. It was all over now.

Aria came over to them, and Mrs Fitz looked critically at her belly.

"How far along are you?" she demanded.

"Twenty weeks," Aria said nervously.

"Uhuh. And when exactly, were you planning on telling me I'm going to be a grandmother?" Rachel Fitz demanded, wheeling round to face her son.

"You're not, mother." Ezra said steadily. Behind his mother, he could see Aria mouthing "_what_?" at him.

"I'm not? Do you mean to tell me that this baby isn't yours? That you're seeing a woman who is pregnant with another man's child?" his mother gasped.

"Mother, just listen, it's not –"

"Are you married?" Mrs Fitz demanded of Aria. "Are you cheating on someone with my son? Are you two-" she paused with distaste "-having an AFFAIR?"

"Mother, stop. You've got it all wrong. The baby's mine," Ezra said desperately.

"Really? The baby's yours? But I'm not going to be a grandmother? Tell me how you've worked that one out, Ezra."

"You're not going to be a grandmother because…Elizabeth is giving the baby up for adoption." _Well, that had been the plan until recently, so why not?_

Ezra's mother looked at him through narrowed eyes. "The hell she is," she said finally.

"Yes, she is," Ezra said firmly. "I'm sorry, mother, but that's not your decision."

"Do you mean to tell me that my first grandchild, the first in the next generation of Fitzes, is going to be raised by strangers, never to be seen again?" Rachel gasped.

"Exactly that. I'm sorry, mother, but this is why we didn't tell you."

"You were just going to have a baby and give it away and forget about it, is that what you're saying?" Mrs Fitz said coldly.

"Of course not! But Elizabeth and I – we can't keep this baby."

"Why not?" Mrs Fitz demanded, turning around to Aria, directing the question at her.

"It's complicated," she said, unable to think of anything else.

"Oh, well, that makes it all okay then! Best reason ever for giving away your baby!"

"Mother, calm down. Giving the baby up is the best decision for everyone, and it's a decision we've made together, so please, can you just accept that and forget about it?" Ezra said, heatedly.

"I feel like I don't even know you," she said, shaking her head. "The son I raised would never just give away his own child like this."

"Yes, well, you _don't_ exactly know me, do you, Mother?" Ezra retorted, hurt. "Let's face it, I've barely seen you twice a year since I was twelve. That's half my life. So I don't think you actually get the right to come in here and tell me what's best for MY child."

Mrs Fitz drew back, stung, and Aria looked in shock at Ezra. She'd never seen him look like that at someone; so coldly, with such a hard expression. Also, she still wasn't certain what was going on. Of course, it would be easier if Mrs Fitz thought that there wasn't going to be a grandchild in her future, because otherwise she would have expected to be there for birthdays and Christmases and visits, and there was just no way that could happen, since Aria's parents had no idea of her involvement. But if they told her the truth – well, Aria barely knew the woman, but she had a shrewd idea that Ezra's mother would always do exactly what SHE wanted, and consequences be damned. And they couldn't let someone like that in on their secret. Clearly Ezra had come to the same conclusions, so here he was, not only lying to his mother, but also hurting her, to make sure she never found out their secret.

"Well. If that's the way you feel, I'd better be on my way, then," Mrs Fitz said, her head held high. She pulled her bag out from behind the sofa. "I'm sorry I disturbed you while you were sick."

"Mother, don't be like that," Ezra said desperately. "Look, I'm sorry. But all the same, we've made our decision about the baby."

"What baby?" Mrs Fitz asked, coldly. "Goodbye, Ezra. Elizabeth." She slung her bag over her shoulder and opened the door.

"Mother, please wait!"

"Pizza delivery for… E. Fitz?" At the most inopportune moment, the pizza delivery guy had arrived.

"It's for them," Mrs Fitz said, nodding her head back inside. "And their complicated situation."

"Um, okay?" said the delivery guy, looking confused.

"Ezra, shouldn't we go after her?" Aria said, worried. "You can't leave it like this."

"Yes, I can, and I have," Ezra said, wearily. "I only told her the truth. It's her own fault if she doesn't like it."

"But Ezra, she's your _mother_," Aria protested.

"Whom I barely ever see. And right now I need to make sure that _you're_ protected – you and the baby. You're more family to me than she'll ever be."

"Um, excuse me? The pizza's 28.50". The delivery guy was still standing there uncertainly, holding out the box.

"Oh shit, sorry," Ezra said. "Where's my-"

"I've got it, love," said Aria, who was still clutching the wallet, as she had been ever since she'd opened the door to Ezra's mother. She pulled out some notes and gave them to the delivery guy. "There you go, okay, byebye now."

"Um, thanks," the poor guy said, still looking a bit bewildered as she closed the door in his face.

Aria went over to where Ezra had sunk down onto the sofa. "Are you okay?"

"Actually, I have no idea," he confessed, looking up at Aria. "I just needed her to stop asking questions. Getting her out of here was the most important thing."

"But Ezra, she's your mother, and she IS going to be this baby's grandmother. We are keeping the baby, so she'll have to find out eventually."

"She can find out when everyone else does, once you're out of high school," Ezra said firmly. "I hardly ever see her as it is, and the baby won't be living here anyway, so she's hardly likely to find out until we're ready to tell her. If she hadn't walked in her unannounced and seen your bump, she would still be happily ignorant."

"Yes but the point is, she's NOT now," Aria argued. "What's she going to say when she meets her two-year-old grandchild in two year's time, and we have to tell her we lied to her the whole time?"

"IF she's even speaking to me, by then we'll be able to explain why we lied. But Aria, you and our baby are my first consideration here. I'm keeping you safe. And yes, myself too. I couldn't trust my mother not to screw this up. It's hard enough as it is."

"I just don't want you to screw up your relationship with her on account of me," Aria said, snuggling up next to him again.

"I barely _have_ one to screw up," Ezra said wryly. "Okay, look, if it makes you feel better I'll give her a call in a few days and try and smooth things over. But I don't want you to worry about this. Or anything. All I need you to do is look after our baby for us, and we'll take the rest as it comes. Okay?"

"Okay," Aria said, relaxing on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 ONE MORE SECRET

That weekend and the following week were particularly difficult for Aria. She couldn't exactly ask her friends to help her sneak out of her room every night by ladder; and anyway there was such a thing as taking too many chances. And with Ella on the warpath, constantly on the lookout for any suspicious behavior, and always – or so it seemed to Aria – trying to catch Aria out somehow, those chances were best left untaken. Ezra was only returning to school the following Monday, and in the nine days between that scene with his mother and the day he would return to school, Aria had only able to see him once, when he'd popped into the school, ostensibly to fetch some work. At least there was always skype – Ella hadn't gone as far as confiscating laptops or anything yet.

Aria: The doctor's tomorrow.

Ezra: I know. I wish I could be there.

Aria: No more than I do. Although, things are so crappy with my Mom at the moment, I'm kind of hoping her first peek at her grandchild will soften her up a bit.

Ezra: I hope so. If she's going to be there instead of me, she'd better enjoy it.

Aria: I'm sorry.

Ezra: What for?

Aria: For talking about how my mom can be there and you can't.

Ezra: Hey, I was only kidding. We always knew it would be this way. So I can't be there. The bigger question is, have you decided about finding out the sex?

Aria: I THINK so. I think I want to know. But only if you do.

Ezra: Yes!

Aria: Really? You sure? So we're going to find out?

Ezra: Yes yes yes.

Aria:

Aria: I'm going to ask my mom to bring me in early on Monday, so I can tell you.

Ezra: You mean you're not going to call the minute you get home? Holy crap, if you make me wait all weekend, I'll die!

Aria: Wait, I've got a plan.

Ezra: This better be good!

Aria: I'm going to ask the doctor to write the sex on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. I'll say I want to open it with all my best friends there. Then on Monday, you and I can open it together.

Ezra: That might be the best plan I've ever heard.

Aria: I thought so too.

Ezra: Okay, but isn't your mom going to be suspicious? I mean after she asked if you know who the father is, isn't she going to think it's even more suspicious that you want to wait to find out the sex on Monday at school, when she's not there? As in, exactly what you're doing?

Aria. Shit. You have a point.

Ezra: Hmmm. Hold on.

Aria: What?

Ezra: Ok, what if we get one of your friends to suggest this to your mom? She could say they want to make a big party out of it – a big reveal of the sex – with cake and everything. So then you could give HER the envelope, and she could get her mom or someone to bake a pink or blue cake – I saw this once at my cousin's house – and then you all find out the sex together. Except in reality, you and I open it together before school, and then you get someone to record the party, and you just act surprised. And you can show the video to your mom, and she'll have to find it completely legitimate.

Aria: OMG you are a genius. A GENIUS.

Ezra: I'm blushing.

Aria: I am going to have the most intelligent baby in the world. Ok, hold on, I'm going to call Emily. I think she's the best one for this job. Be back in a bit.

##++##

"So, are you sure about this plan of Emily's?" Ella asked. It was Friday afternoon, and she was driving Aria to her 5-month scan. Despite her recent suspicion of Aria's behavior, she was secretly very excited about this appointment; the first time she would see her future grandchild, albeit in a blurry and squiggly-lined way. Still, it was a momentous occasion, and she was determined to enjoy it with her daughter, and to try and move on from the animosity that had existed between them over the past couple of weeks.

Aria looked over at her. "Of course I'm sure! I think it's such a fun idea, and so sweet of Emily to organize it. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. It _is_ a nice idea. I'd just have liked to find out today with you, that's all."

"It's just three more days, Mom. I just really want my friends to be there when I found out. They've been so supportive through this whole thing…I kind of feel like they're all unofficial aunts, or something. And Emily said she's going to get one of her friends to record the whole thing, and I'll play it for you as soon as I get home on Monday afternoon, I promise."

"Oh, all right," Ella said, smiling across at her daughter. "I guess your friends have been there for you a lot… in a way that I couldn't-"

"Mom, please don't. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but –"

"No, it's not that," Ella interrupted. "I just meant that, as your friends, Emily, Spencer and Hanna can just be there for you and support your decisions, no matter what. But as your mother, it's a little harder for me. I WANT to support you and say, "that's great, honey, you're going to have a baby; I'm so excited" – and I AM excited, but at the same time, as your parent, I have to let you know that you kind of messed up bigtime here, and that I can't help but be disappointed in you."

"I know," Aria said in a small voice.

"However," Ella said, switching off the car, "I AM proud of the way you're handling this. I know it's not easy for you to deal with everything at school, never mind the thought of raising a child, but you're strong, Aria, and you'll get through this, and come out stronger on the other side."

"Thanks, Mom," Aria said, not sure what else to say. This was kind of a change from Ella's recent behavior towards her.

"Now let's go see your baby."

###+++###

"It's me," Aria whispered into her phone.

"How was it? Everything all right? Is the baby all right?"

Aria laughed. "Everything's fine. Dr Bader said we're both doing really well, and our baby should be making his or her appearance on July 22nd, or so."

"And? Could she tell the sex? Did you do the envelope thing?" Ezra asked, excitedly.

"Perfectly. Dr B said it was really clear what the sex is, though I couldn't see it to save my life, so she wrote it down like we asked and we dropped it at Emily's on the way home. She's going to smuggle it back to me somehow before Monday, and then I'll see you in your classroom an hour before school starts."

"Oh god, I can't wait," Ezra groaned, flopping back on his bed. "And you had it in your hands…right there. Whether our baby's a boy or girl. I don't know how you kept from ripping it open."

"The thought of opening it with you on Monday stopped me," Aria smiled.

"I can't wait."

"Me neither. I have to go now, though. My mom's calling me for dinner."

"Call me whenever you can, or I don't know how I'll get through this weekend," Ezra replied. "I love you."

"Love you more." Aria hung up and went downstairs.

###+++###

"You're sure Mr Fitz is okay with this?" Ella asked, as she pulled up in front of the school on Monday morning.

"With what?" Aria said, confused.

"With you coming in early and badgering him about your story on his very first day back at school, silly."

"Oh! No, of course he's all right with it. And I'm not _badgering_ him, Mom. He even said he was excited to see how my story was going, and anyway, he can't wait to start teaching again because he's been so bored, just sitting around with his arm in a sling…" she trailed off at the quizzical look in Ella's eye. "What?"

"When did he say all this?" Ella demanded.

"When – when I called him about meeting him before school today, of course," Aria said. "When else?"

Ella shrugged. "I never had a teacher at school that I could be friendly with, the way you kids are with Mr Fitz," she said. "It sounds nice."

"Um, yeah. It is," Aria said, feeling the blush rising to her cheeks. "Ok, Mom, I have to go. See you after school!" She jumped out of the car, not even looking back at her mother, for fear of her red face giving her away, and hurried up the steps into the school. Inside, she made her way to Ezra's classroom.

"Knock knock," she said cheerily, as she pushed open the door. Inside, Ezra was waiting with Emily, who jumped off the desk she'd been sitting on, and ran over to hug Aria.

"You're here! This is going to be so awesome."

"Hey, Em," Aria said, hugging her back. "Hey, love."

"Hey yourself," Ezra said, coming over and putting his arms around her. "Emily's just been filling me in on the plans for today."

"First of all, I didn't look in the envelope, I swear on my life," Emily said. "I gave it to my Mom and she baked the cake with the – whatever colour icing inside, and then she sealed up the envelope and gave it back to me. I wanted to be as surprised as the others when you cut it later."

"That's so great. Tell your Mom I really appreciate it, Em. So…you've got the envelope on you now?"

"Uhuh," Emily said nonchalantly, but with her face betraying her excitement. She withdrew a plain white envelope from her purse. "This is it."

Both Ezra and Aria started to hold out their hands for it, and then withdrew them. Emily laughed.

"You're not going to be able to feel the baby's sex through the envelope, guys! But okay, I'll just put it here on the desk. And then at lunchtime, we're all going to come back here with the cake and cut it in here. Mr Fitz offered, and I thought it'd be a better idea than doing it in public."

"I won't be here, of course," Ezra said quickly. "Since you're filming it to show your family."

Aria nodded. "It's okay. We get to find out now, together. Oh god, I'm so excited I barely slept last night!"

"Me neither," Ezra said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"Well, I'm going to get going then," Emily said. "Don't forget to lock the door after me. And don't be late for first period, Aria."

"How could I? It's in here!" Aria retorted. She left Ezra's arms and went over to hug her friend. "Thanks for this, Emily. You're the best friend anyone could ever have."

"Don't make me cry! I want to save it all for the cake-cutting," Emily protested, laughing. "I'll see you two back here in 45 minutes, and you'd better not be crying, either." She winked and closed the door, and Aria immediately turned the key so they were locked in.

"This way," Ezra said, leading her to the back corner of the classroom where they couldn't be seen.

"Are you as nervous as I am?" Aria demanded.

"Unless your stomach feels like it's sitting in your shoes, and you're not sure whether to cry or laugh or be sick, then I think I'm actually feeling worse," Ezra replied, but with a smile that showed he didn't really mind.

Aria took a deep breath. "Ok, so, how do we do this? We open the envelope, and…"

"First, we get the envelope off my desk," Ezra said, running back to get it, "and then…okay, you tear this side and I'll tear _this_ side, and then we both pull the paper out together…"

"Emily's mom really stuck this thing down good," Aria grumbled. "I'm just going to rip this bit. Okay? Oh my God, there's the paper, can you see anything?"

"It's folded," Ezra said, smiling at his girlfriend's impatience. "You hold that end, and then one...two…three...lift!"

The paper unfolded, and Ezra and Aria stared at the three scribbled words in the centre.

"Oh, Ezra!" Aria's face crumpled up in tears of joy, and she pulled him close to her, while he kept holding the paper, staring at it over her shoulder, as though he couldn't believe it.

"Ezra! Say something!" Aria demanded, pulling back. Ezra's stunned expression changed to one of joy, and the boyish smile she loved so much lit up his whole face.

"We're having a girl, Aria! We're going to have a little baby girl!"


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 One More Secret**

"Mom? I'm home!" Aria called as she walked into the house that evening.

"In here," Ella called back. Aria followed her voice into the living room, where she found her mother curled up on the sofa, eating popcorn, and watching…nothing. The television wasn't even on.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Aria demanded, confused.

"Waiting for you, silly," Ella replied. "You did manage to record the cake party, right?" She added anxiously.

Aria laughed. "Yes, of course. We had – a friend of Emily's do it," she said quickly, for Emily's friend had not, in fact, shown up, so Ezra had ended up recording the party instead. Still, he was safely behind the camera the whole time, so Ella didn't need to know anything about that.

"Well, put it on, then! I've been dying here all day," Ella said eagerly. Aria grinned at her mother's enthusiasm, and went over to plug the camcorder into the entertainment system.

"Is it on?" she heard Hanna's voice. "Is it recording?"

Aria climbed back onto the sofa next to her mother, remembering how Ezra had merely given a thumbs up in response to Hanna's query, as he didn't want his voice to be on the recording. He'd been almost as excited as her friends to see the cake cutting, despite already knowing that the baby was a girl.

"Recordings of yourself are always weird," Aria remarked, seeing herself and her three friends giggling madly as Hanna tried to place a baby-shaped candle in the centre of the cake, that wouldn't stand up straight.

"Forget the candle, Han!" Spencer said impatiently. "Just let her cut the cake."

"Wait, we're not gonna do an intro?" Hanna demanded.

"What kind of intro?" Aria asked, confused.

"For you – and – and, I don't know, your Mom, and people you show it to!" Hanna replied.

Aria at home giggled as she watched Spencer on the recording roll her eyes behind them. "Fine, do it then, but just something short, okay?"

"Relax, Spence. I got this," Hanna said. She cleared her throat and looked towards the camera. "Hello, everyone. This is Hanna Marin, and we're here at a cake-cutting ceremony in honour of my friend Aria Montgomery, who will, in just a few moments, discover the sex of her unborn – what the hell, you guys?"

Spencer, Aria and Emily had all started laughing, and even Ezra behind the camera had given a hurriedly-stifled snort.

"Seriously? That's how you're going to introduce this? Like a newscaster?" Emily asked between giggles.

"Hey, it's a big moment!" Hanna protested.

"Yeah, we should've called CNN," Aria chuckled, on the tape. "Can I just cut this thing now? Please?"

"For the love of god, yes please!" Spencer begged.

"Here's the knife," Emily said, handing it to her.

"Oh, fine!" said Hanna, pretending to be annoyed, but clearly more excited than any of them. She leaned in closer as Aria pushed the knife deep into the cake, then lifted it out to cut the other side of the slice.

"Oh my god!" Ella said, squeezing Aria's hand tightly. "How slowly do you cut?"

"I was trying to savour the moment," Aria protested, as she watched herself on the screen making the second incision and then slowly lifting the slice of cake out to reveal …the bright pink icing inside. 

Ella shrieked along with all the girls on the tape. "It's a girl! You're having a baby girl!" she cried, and pulled Aria in to hug her, just as Hanna, Emily and Spencer were doing on the recording. Over her mother's shoulder, Aria watched herself on the tape looking thrilled and excited, and definitely surprised. It hadn't been that hard to do, she reflected. Her friends' excitement had definitely been infectious, and she'd been hardly any less thrilled to see the pink icing than she had been that morning reading the words "It's a Girl" with Ezra. She watched as the camera focused in on her face, laughing and radiant, and saw herself smiling at the cameraman, her eyes shining with love and excitement. Then the recording ended.  
"You looked so beautiful there," Ella, who had pulled away from the hug, remarked. "Not that you don't always," she smiled proudly, "but you looked – I don't know – extra specially beautiful in that last bit."  
"I was just happy, that's all," Aria said quickly.  
"It was really great of the girls to organize that for you," Ella said. "I'm so glad you could record it for me too!" She hugged Aria again. "My little girl's having a little girl," she murmured.

"Wow. You seem really happy about this," Aria remarked, uncertainly. Just last week Ella had been very clear that she thought Aria was lying to her about the paternity of the baby, and now here she was as excited as any grandmother could be.

"I guess it just became real, that's all," Ella said, considering. "Now we know that there'll be a little girl joining our family; an actual little person! I can't be angry forever about you getting pregnant at sixteen, Aria. It's happened, and while it's not a great thing, we can make the best of it, and look forward to the good bits."

"Like buying little pink clothes?" Aria suggested.

"Exactly that," Ella replied, laughing.

The next day at school, Aria went to visit Ezra before class started.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, his eyes lighting up as they always did when he looked at her.  
"Hey yourself," she replied, sitting on the edge of his desk as she often did, and taking his hands in hers.  
"So did your Mom like the tape?" Ezra asked eagerly.  
Aria rolled her eyes. "LIKE it? She must have watched it about twenty times. She's completely obsessed with the fact that we're – that I'm – having a girl."

"So she didn't suspect that you'd already found out beforehand?"

"Please. I did a brilliant job at being surprised," Aria retorted. "I could win an Oscar for that performance. And she had no idea you were recording it all, despite your snorty laughter at the beginning."

"Hey! I totally covered that up," Ezra protested. "I was an impeccable cameraman. Despite wanting to drop the camera and come over and kiss you after you'd cut the cake."

"You can kiss me now to make up for it," Aria suggested, toying with his tie, and using it to pull him closer to her.

"Probably not the best idea, since class starts in a few minutes," Ezra protested, glancing at the door.

"Yeah. You'll just have to think about it all through class, then," Aria replied, running her tongue over her lips tantalizingly. She slid off the desk, and for a second Ezra wanted to pull her right up against him, and crush his lips against hers, but common sense prevailed – and fortunately, too, for the next second the door opened and Hanna and Mona came in. Hanna grinned knowingly, but merely said, "Morning Mr Fitz. Hey, Aria."

"God, why do you always have to be first to class, Aria?" Mona grumbled. "It's not enough you get an A+ for everything, do you have to arrive first and leave last, too? Way to make the rest of us look bad!"

Aria shrugged and went to take her seat. She had no desire to get into a pointless argument with Mona.

The rest of the class came in in drips and drabs, and Ezra began the lesson. But he kept glancing over at Aria, who, it seemed, was not taking her eyes off him. There she sat, chewing absently on a pen, her lips full and pink, her wide eyes looking very green, and following every move he made. He kept having to force himself to look away, but everytime he did, he couldn't help but look back to see if she had looked away, too. But she hadn't. She just kept staring at him, as if to say, "I want you, right now. Come and take me."

Ezra shook his head and looked away for the umpteenth time. For the rest of the lesson he kept his eyes glued firmly to the book out of which he was reading, never glancing up at all. It was a huge relief when the bell rang, and everyone got up and started leaving. Aria, as usual, lingered behind.

"What are you doing?" Ezra demanded.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked innocently.

"You know! The silent flirting, playing with your lips all the time, staring at me like that …"

"You're giving the class, Ezra. I kind of have to look at you."

"Yes, but not in that way, Aria. You're killing me," Ezra protested.

Aria stretched up on her tiptoes and pulled Ezra's head down till his ear was level with her mouth.

"Did you know that a woman's sexual appetite increases in her second trimester?" she whispered breathily into his ear. Ezra felt himself getting hot.

"Er..no, I didn't know that," he replied, feebly.

"You do now," Aria said, stepping back. She kissed the tips of her index and middle fingers, and pressed them to Ezra's lips.

"See you later," she said, and left the room. Ezra collapsed into his seat.

"Are you TRYING to kill me?" he asked out loud of the empty room.

******+***************+********************

Two hours later, Ezra's phone buzzed as he was finishing up his last class before recess. He flipped it open.

"_Looks like we're both free till 11:30. Fate? Turn out your classroom light and I'll come find you in the darkest corner. Xxx"_

A jolt of excitement ran through Ezra's body, and he groaned. He knew exactly what Aria was planning, and while the thought of doing it at school was an incredible turn-on, it was also incredibly reckless and stupid. And as the teacher, it was up to him to stop it. Except…he'd never been able to control himself around Aria. He lost all common sense around her. That was how she'd gotten pregnant to start with, for christsakes. They'd never intended to go that far, but they just…had. And now, with Aria still grounded – though at least she was allowed to get a ride home with her friends now, if they came straight back to her house after school – he never got to see her; well, not in the way he wanted to, that was for sure.

As the last student left, Ezra closed the door, and stopped with his hand on the light switch. He was dying to have Aria close to him, to kiss her, run his hands over her body and through her hair…well, maybe if that was all they did, it wouldn't hurt. She'd lock the door behind her; no one could catch them. It would be okay.

Knowing he was being completely foolhardy, Ezra nonetheless found himself switching off the light and retreating to the back of the classroom. The blinds were already down to stop the morning sun streaming in, and so the room was almost completely dark. Only the light creeping in round the edges of the blinds made things just visible.

Two minutes later, Ezra heard the door open and then close quietly, and he heard the click of the key being turned in the lock.

"It's me," Aria's voice called softly.

"I'm back here," Ezra replied. He could smell the scent of her perfume a moment before he could actually see her, and then she was in his arms, pressing her lips against his.

"Good idea?" she asked teasingly, as she pulled away for a breath.

"Crazy good idea," Ezra replied, pulling her back close and burying his face in her hair. It smelled like coconut. "I've missed you like crazy."

"I miss you every second I'm away from you," Aria said. "I just want to come home with you every night, cook with you, watch bad tv with you, make love to you all night long, and wake up with you. Is that too much to ask?"

"You know I'd love nothing more. But right now, it's impossible. Even this – being here like this, alone, in the dark, with your hands doing what they're doing – isn't the best idea."

"I could stop," Aria said, pulling her hands out from under his shirt. "But somehow I don't think you want that either."

"What I want, and what I'm allowed to want, are two very different things," Ezra replied. "And we have to be careful."

"We _are_ being careful," Aria whispered, her mouth suddenly against his ear as it had been a few hours earlier. She nibbled his earlobe, and he groaned. Then her lips were on his again, and he gave in. He could never fight his feelings for Aria – neither the emotional, nor the physical.

"And where were you all this time?" Spencer demanded as Aria slipped into her seat in history class some time later.

"Where do you think?" Hanna demanded, grinning wickedly. Aria blushed.

"I had a free period. Miss Farrell wasn't here for my music lesson."

"So you used it to spend some time with Fitz?" Hanna persisted.

"You were with Fitz? Now? In the middle of school?" Emily gasped.

"Shut up," Aria said warningly, glancing around the room.

"You dirty little slut," Hanna giggled, looking impressed.

"You mean, you were actually "WITH him" with him?" Spencer asked incredulously. "You mean you two just did it in his classroom in the middle of fifth period?"

"And recess," Aria muttered, blushing again, but unable to keep the grin off her face.

"I knew it!" Hanna crowed, at the same time as Emily said, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Kind of," Aria admitted. "It's these stupid hormones. I just want to…you know…all the time."

"Ugh, please don't tell me you did it on one of our desks," Spencer shuddered.

"Not one of _yours_, no," Aria grinned.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to be in that class with Mr Fitz again," Emily moaned.

"Calm down, Em. It's not like they haven't done it before," Hanna said, pointing at Aria's bump.

"Well, I don't need to know details," Emily retorted. "But Aria, please promise me you won't do something so stupid again. No matter what your hormones tell you, what you did was really reckless."

"I know, I know," Aria said, burying her face in her hands. "This whole being grounded thing has really messed everything up. I just wanted him so badly, and there's no other time for us."

"Well, control yourself. Or you could really mess up everything, including your baby's future," Spencer warned.

"I know," Aria repeated. But however true she knew it was, she also knew that she would never be able to keep away from Ezra Fitz. And that could be her undoing. 


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N – Thanks for the welcome back, guys! And for sticking with me through my long drought of busyness and writer's block! I'm going to try update this much more often now…and I've written a really juicy chapter that will come up in a bit, after I write the lead-up to it… ;-)**

Chapter 28 One More Secret

The next few weeks seemed to speed by in a blur for Aria. One moment she was sporting a cute little baby bump that could easily be hidden – or at least, made less noticeable – under a loose dress or sweater, and suddenly she was thirty-one weeks along, with a belly that seemed to have tripled in size. There was no hiding it now, and despite the fact that everyone at Rosewood had known about the baby for months, they still stared every time they saw her.

"This sucks. My Mom says she didn't get this huge with me or Mike," Aria complained, lowering herself into a chair in the cafeteria. "This stupid bump is nearly as big as I am."

"You are kind of a planet," Hanna said cheerfully, quoting the movie _Juno_.

"Shut up," Aria said, throwing a piece of roll half-heartedly at her friend, who ducked and missed it easily.

"I can't believe you've still got nine weeks to go," Emily said. "How are you doing?"

"Eh, as fine as I can be with ankles like tree trunks and needing to pee every five minutes. And the fact that everyone is still completely fascinated by my stomach. Do you think I should walk around with some kind of sign saying "wide load"?

"Maybe you could charge people for looking," Hanna suggested.

"At that rate, she'd have her college fund sorted out by next week," Aria retorted, grinning.

"Hey! Have you thought about names yet?" Spencer asked suddenly. "I know you didn't have a clue when we mentioned it before, but you're due soon now…"

"Actually, I kind of have – at least, I have an idea," Aria replied. "It's for the second name. I want Ezra to choose the first name, you see, since he's going to miss so much, AND her last name won't be able to be Fitz – well, not just yet, anyway."

"And? What is it?" the other three demanded simultaneously.

Aria shook her head. "I can't tell you yet. I have to run it by Ezra first – and make sure it works with whatever he wants to choose. But you'll love it, I promise you."

"So when can you tell us?" Spencer asked.

"Actually, I'm going to run it by him this afternoon. We have an appointment to work on my extra writing credit after school."

"Yeah, yeah. "Extra writing credit", I'm sure," Hanna teased, making exaggerated air quotes.

"Hey! We don't spend ALL our time making out," Aria protested.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Just 99% of it," Hanna retorted, grinning hugely.

"Hey, beautiful," Ezra said as Aria entered his classroom after school.

"Hey," Aria said, sinking down onto one of the chairs in the front row.

"Are you okay?" he asked, coming over to her.

"I'm fine, just tired," Aria replied. "I'd love to put my feet up on the desk if my belly would let them go that far, though. Or if we had a sofa in here, or something…"

"Do you want to postpone this and go home and rest?" Ezra asked, concerned.

Aria smiled. "Not in a million years. I haven't seen you outside of class for days, and I miss you."

"I've missed you too," said Ezra, pulling up a chair beside hers, and putting an arm around her so that she could lean onto his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

"Can we just stay like this till it's time to go?" Aria murmured.

"I'd like nothing more, but we kind of need to do some writing at some point, so you can actually get those extra credits," Ezra pointed out. "And we've only got a few more weeks-"

"Nine," Aria pointed out.

"Well, technically, but you never know what might happen. She might come early. And even if she's perfectly on time, I'm betting you won't feel much like extra homework right toward the end there."

"You know, part of me wishes she _would_ come a little bit early, just so I can stop walking around like a beached whale. And then another part of me wants her to stay in here forever, where it's safe and I can protect her," Aria said softly, her head still on Ezra's shoulder. "I feel like when she's a whole new person, and not a part of me anymore, anything could happen or go wrong. What if she looks just like you?"

"Then she'll be a very unlucky little girl," Ezra replied solemnly.

Aria laughed. "You know what I mean! What if people see her and realize she's yours, just from looking at her?"

"That's highly unlikely, love. People generally only see what they want to see, and since no one would even contemplate that I'm the father, they won't see it, I promise you. Besides, if we're at all lucky, she'll look just like you. It would just be too unfair for her to have the most beautiful woman in the world as her mother, and not get some of that beauty herself."

"I love you, Ezra," Aria said, touched.

"Ditto. Now we really need to get some work done, much as I hate letting you go," Ezra said, getting up. "Did you do the rewrites on that story?"

Aria sighed, pulling out a folder from her bag. "Yes, I did, but it still isn't quite working for me in the middle there. It still seems to be dragging, but I can't cut that bit out or even rush it any more than I have, or the rest won't make sense."

"Let me see," Ezra said, taking the pages from her, and flipping open to the middle. Aria leaned back in her chair, rubbing her hand over her belly. She loved the feel of its roundness, and she loved the idea that there was a baby in there.

"Ezra!" she said suddenly.

"What? What's wrong?" he demanded, jumping to his feet.

"No, nothing's wrong," she said hastily. "I just remembered something I wanted to talk to you about."

Ezra came round the desk and sat down on the front. "Shoot."

"I've come up with an idea for the baby's name – the second name, that is," Aria explained. "I want you to choose the first name."

Ezra's eyes lit up. "Me? Shouldn't we choose one together?"

Aria shook her head. "There's so much you're giving up for this baby, Ezra. So much you won't be able to be a part of. The least I can do is give her a name that you choose."

"You're amazing, Aria," Ezra said, sitting down next to her again, and wrapping his arms around her. "I can't believe how much I love you."

"Ditto," she smiled, echoing his earlier words. "So…think about it, and let me know when you come up with something-"

"Already have," Ezra interrupted, grinning.

"What? In the last ten seconds? Or did you have something picked out all along?"

"Not all along…but I thought of it the other day, and I was going to mention it to you. But I don't want you to say it's okay if you don't like it."

"Ezra, I said you could choose the name, and I meant it," Aria said firmly. "So spill it."

"Okay. It's my grandmother's name – Lily."

"Lily." Aria tested out the name out loud. She smiled broadly. "That's beautiful, Ezra. I love it."

"Really? You're not just saying that?" Ezra asked.

"When do I ever?' Aria retorted, grinning. "And the best part is," she continued, "that it goes with both Montgomery and Fitz…so when we change her last name in a few years, it'll still work. Lily Montgomery. Lily Fitz."

"So what was your brilliant middle name idea, then?" Ezra asked, curiously.

Aria considered it in her head, then smiled. "It works; it's perfect. I want to name her after my best friends, you see. Because they've been there so much for me in this pregnancy, even before you were."

Ezra frowned, puzzled. "You mean…like… Spannaly or something?"

Aria laughed out loud. "Oh, Ezra! That's hilarious! Like some celebrity couple name pairing. No – I just took their initials, and mine, and made the name Shae. S-H-A-E," She spelled out. "Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily."

"Shae? That's not bad at all," Ezra said. "Lily Shae. Lily Shae Montgomery. Lily Shae Fitz. My daughter, Lily Shae Montgomery Fitz."

Ezra!" Aria said suddenly.

"What?"

"She's kicking!"

"What?" Ezra's hands flew to Aria's belly. For although Aria had felt the baby move on several occasions for the last six weeks, Ezra had yet to feel it for himself.

"Oh my God," he breathed. "is that her?"

Aria chuckled. "Yup. Kicking a hole in my side. Can you feel her foot?"

"Uhuh," Ezra nodded, barely moving, just staring at Aria's belly. "This is incredible. It's…I don't even know what it is."

"I know," Aria replied, simply. "Ouch! What _are_ you doing in there, Lily?"

Ezra looked up at her first use of the name. "It's perfect," he smiled. "Lily! Stop kicking your mother."

There was a pause, then another flurry of movement. "Nope. Not going to work," Aria laughed.

"Doesn't listen to me…she clearly takes after her mother," Ezra chuckled back.

"What is going on here?" a voice suddenly demanded. It was Ella.

Aria and Ezra jumped apart and up out of their seats before they could even think. Oh, this was not good.

"Mom!" Aria exclaimed. "We were just – I felt the baby kick – and Mr Fitz hasn't ever felt what that feels like, so I said he had to feel it for himself, and – and that's it," she concluded lamely.

Ella raised an eyebrow as she glanced from Aria to Ezra, who was red with embarrassment, and then back to Aria again.

"Is she still kicking?" Ella asked after what felt like the longest pause in the history of the world to Aria and Ezra.

Aria exhaled in relief. "Yes! A little! Feel here." She took her mother's hand and placed it on the side of her abdomen, where Ezra's hand had just been resting. Ella looked at her, delighted.

"She is! I've never felt her move before, either! Mr Fitz, isn't it amazing?"

"It is," Ezra agreed quietly, relieved beyond belief that Ella didn't seem to have noticed anything too damning when she walked in, or she wouldn't have been this easily distracted. "I'm really…pleased that Aria let me feel it."

"Well, it is the miracle of life," Ella smiled. "You don't have any children, do you, Mr Fitz?"

"Er, no. N-not yet," he stammered uncomfortably. He caught Aria's eye over her mother's shoulder.

"Awkward," she mouthed, behind Ella's back.

"Well, er, I don't want to keep you, Mrs Montgomery –"

"Ella, please."

"Ella. Um…Aria, here's your story. See if you can get that middle bit to flow a bit better, and then it'll be excellent."

"Thanks, Mr Fitz," Aria said very properly. "I'll see you in class tomorrow." Then, as her mother turned away from her again, she mouthed, I LOVE YOU.

"You too," Ezra replied, smiling.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N - I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who are still reading, considering I started this story over a year ago! I've got so many great reviews and pleas to keep writing, even when I hadn't updated for months, and it really makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm glad you all liked the names I chose for baby Fitz, and a special shoutout to EzraandAriaForever, whose real name is Lily! I'm glad I made your day :-)**

* * *

_Chapter 29 One More Secret_

"So, how are you feeling, Aria?" the doctor asked, as Aria clambered onto the bed and lay down.

"Pretty uncomfortable," Aria admitted, "but I guess that's normal for thirty-five weeks, right?"

The doctor laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. But you've got quite a big baby in there, relative to your size, of course, so you're bound to be feeling a bit more discomfort than usual. I imagine your baby girl takes after her father. Was he a big baby?"

"Um, well – I don't know," Aria stammered, and Ella, taking her daughter's hand, said firmly, "He is no longer in Aria's life, Dr Green, so we don't discuss him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Dr Green replied, looking genuinely embarrassed. "Of course you don't. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"It's fine," said Aria, who was more embarrassed at her mother's reaction than being asked about the father to begin with. Of course, maybe that's because Ella still thought the father was some random boy from a drunken one-night-stand at a party.

Dr Green nodded as she squeezed the cold blue gel onto Aria's belly. Even though she was expecting it, Aria couldn't help but flinch at the coldness, and the doctor smiled sympathetically. "By the end of the next five weeks, you'll be a pro at this, Aria. One every week until the baby comes, you know!"

Aria nodded. "I know. And I don't mind, it's worth it to see my baby on the screen so often. I just wish-" She stopped herself, because what she'd been about to say was, _I wish Ezra could come and see it too_, but luckily she'd managed to cut herself off before it came out.

"What, honey? What do you wish?" Ella asked curiously.

"Um…just that I wish I knew exactly when the baby was going to come," Aria said quickly. "I mean, she could be late and I'll end up having like ten of these before she finally comes, or I could go into labour tomorrow and then this would be my last ultrasound ever."

"Well, there's no chance of that," Dr Green said, looking at the screen as the blurry, squiggly shape of the baby appeared as she found the right spot on Aria's belly.

"Why's that? Babies can come early unexpectedly, can't they?" Ella asked, interested.

"Well, yes, but in Aria's case the baby hasn't even started to drop yet," Dr Green explained. "Usually that's happened by now, so I'd predict that this little girl is going to be overdue, rather than early. In fact, if she hasn't started getting into position in the next few weeks, we might have to look at other options."

"Other options?" Aria asked, fearfully.

"Possibly a caesarian – but don't start worrying about that now!" the doctor added quickly, seeing the fear in Aria's eyes. "Nine times out of ten, the baby will be in the right position for a natural birth when it's time. All I'm saying is, you still have quite a few weeks to go, so don't worry about anything just yet. Just relax, and stay off your feet as much as you can. Are you still going to school?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to miss anything," Aria replied. _Like seeing Ezra everyday_. "Anyway, school's out for the summer in two weeks, so I thought it'd be okay to stay until then. Is it?"

"Yes, as long as you don't walk around too much or carry heavy books or anything like that," Dr Green agreed. "And if you rest when you get home. But once the vacation starts, I want you to stay in bed as much as possible, okay?"

"Oh, I'll make sure she does," Ella said swiftly, and Aria nodded. At least when she was in her room she could skype Ezra as much as she wanted. And anyway, bed sounded pretty fabulous most of the time, what with her large baby bump and swollen ankles and general tiredness.

"Well, everything's looking pretty good, you three," Dr Green said, smilingly addressing Aria, Ella and the baby, as she wiped off the ultrasound paddles. "Just keep resting, no stressing or worrying, and I'll see you back here again next week, okay?"

"Thanks," Aria said, as her mother and the doctor helped her off the bed. "Can I use your bathroom before we go?"

"Of course," Dr Green laughed. "You need to go what feels like every five minutes, huh?"

"Pretty much," Aria said, smiling back as she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She pulled out her phone and sent Ezra a text.

_Lily doing gr8! Dr says she hasn't dropped yet so she'll def be inside me a few more weeks. Love you xxx_

As she came out the bathroom, Ella was just saying to Dr Green, "So you're sure?"

"I think you're safe enough, yes," Dr Green replied.

"Safe from what?" Aria demanded. "Mom – is everything all right?"

Ella chuckled. "Oh – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Everything's fine, honey. I'll explain to you on the way home. Thanks again, Dr Green. See you next Tuesday."

"Bye, Ella. Aria, take care of yourself – and that little girl," she added, smiling.

"Bye," Aria said. Then, as the door closed behind them, she immediately grabbed Ella's arm. "Mom! What were you talking about in there? There's nothing wrong with Lily, is there, that she didn't want to tell me?"

"Aria, relax. I'm sorry we scared you," Ella said, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and looking her in the eye. "There's nothing wrong with Lily at all. I was just asking the doctor again if she was definitely sure Lily wouldn't be born anytime soon, like she said."

"Why?" Aria demanded.

"Well," said Ella, "You know your Dad's going to that conference at that new golf resort just outside Philadelphia this weekend, right?"

"Considering he hasn't stopped talking about it all month, yeah, I had a vague idea," Aria replied sarcastically.

"Well, the thing is, I was actually invited to go too, as his plus one, but of course I said no because I didn't want to leave you alone so close to your due date," Ella explained. "But hearing what Dr Green said about the baby definitely not coming for another few weeks made me wonder if I could actually go after all – which is what I was asking her."

Aria was stuck in a mixture of excitement and disbelief. "But – but aren't I still grounded?" she asked, confused.

"Well, there'd have to be some ground rules, of course," Ella replied. "Mike will be under strict instructions not to leave you alone in the house, and of course you mayn't go anywhere either. But it has been over three months since we grounded you, Aria, and maybe it's time to relax a bit. I am very proud of how you've taken this all without complaining and moaning, and at some point we are going to have to trust you again – especially since you're going to be a mother very soon. I just need you to give me some time, okay?"

"Thank you, Mom!" Aria cried, hugging Ella. "I'll do whatever you say. And anyway, you deserve a break away from everything. You know, before you become a Grandma."

"I'll grandma you if you're not careful," Ella retorted, laughing, and pulling Aria closer to her. "I love you, Aria."

"I love you too, Mom," Aria replied.

Later that night, Mike knocked on Aria's bedroom door. "It's me, can I come in?"

Aria closed her laptop, on which she had been chatting to Ezra. "Sure, come in," she called.

Mike came in, closed the door behind him, and came over to the bed where Aria was lying.

"Damn, you're huge," she commented, as he usually did at least once a week.

"Shut up," Aria retorted automatically, but with no ill-feeling.

"So, Mom told me about going away this weekend," Mike said.

"Yep. Pretty cool, huh? No parents for the weekend?"

"I guess. But I kind of wanted to go to this party at Rick Pennington's on Saturday night, and now Mom says I have to stay with you."

"Oh crap, that sucks," Aria said, feeling guilty. "Did you ask her if you could go? I'm sure she'd say it's okay if I get Spencer or someone over to stay with me."

"Well, that's the thing," Mike replied, sitting down on the bed. "I couldn't exactly ask her because I don't think she'd let me go either way. You see, it's really Rick's older brother's party, and his parents aren't going to be there."

"Oh, really? So what were you going to do about it if this weekend away thing hadn't come up?" Aria demanded.

"Well, I was just going to sneak out," Mike admitted sheepishly. "But now that you're going to be here alone, I don't want to leave you. I mean, I promised I wouldn't, and what if something happened…?"

Aria stared at her brother. The responsible thing would definitely be to not let him go to the party, where there would certainly be drinking, and possibly drugs, and who knows what else. But on the other hand, she'd snuck out to parties before, and nothing bad had ever happened. It was part of being a teenager. And being alone in the house for a whole night was simply too good an opportunity to miss…

"Okay, here's what we do," Aria stated, suddenly making up her mind. "You go to that party, and I'll make sure someone's here with me the whole night. You should stay over, in fact, because I don't think you'll find anyone to drive you home. Then you come back on Sunday morning, Mom and Dad arrive in the evening, and no one needs to be any the wiser that you weren't here on Saturday night. Deal?"

"Seriously? Aria, you are the coolest sister ever," Mike proclaimed, a huge grin on his face.

"I know. And you owe me, big time," Aria retorted. Then, as Mike left the room, she flipped open her laptop.

_Sorry, love, my brother came in. I've got great news. Guess who has the house to herself on Saturday night? Or rather, to OURSELVES? xxx_

* * *

**Sorry it's a little short, but I was very excited to get this chapter over with so I could write what's coming next!**_** Oooh.**  
_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 One More Secret**

"Now, remember, call me if ANYthing happens," Ella instructed. "I've left the number for the hotel on the fridge in case cellphone reception is bad, or you can't get hold of us, or anything. You feel the slightest twinge, anything strange, you call me immediately."

"Yes, Mom," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "You've told me all this already."

"Well, I mean it," Ella said firmly. "And I also mean what I said to both of you – no leaving this house unless there's an emergency. Mike, I'm trusting you to look after your sister, all right?"

"Yes ma'am," Mike replied cheekily.

"Mom, go already," Aria said, exasperated. "Dad's been sitting in the car waiting for you for the last fifteen minutes. We'll be fine, I promise."

"Oh, all right, I'm going." Ella picked up her purse and hugged Aria and Mike goodbye before finally leaving the house. The teens heard the car start up and reverse out of the driveway, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought she was never going," said Mike. "So, I'm gonna go play some xbox in the living room for once. You wanna join me?"

Aria shook her head. "You know how much I suck at those games. I think I'll just go get some writing done. And then tonight I thought we could order in some pizza or whatever, and watch movies?"

"Deal. See you later," Mike said, disappearing into the other room.

"Are you sure I should go? Spencer isn't here yet," Mike asked, worriedly. It was the following night, and he was all set to go to his party.

"Look at you, being all protective," Aria grinned. "Go, silly. Spencer said she's literally round the corner, picking up some food, so she'll be here in five minutes. And Cam's waiting for you. You can go, really."

"Well, okay. But call me if anything happens, okay?"

"Okay! Now go, have fun, but not TOO much fun, all right?"

"Yeah yeah, I know," Mike replied. "Seeya tomorrow."

"Bye." Aria watched as Mike got into Cam's car outside and drove off. She pulled out her phone.

"The coast is clear," she announced gleefully.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Four and a half minutes later, Aria's doorbell rang.

"You weren't kidding," she remarked, smiling broadly. "What, were you hiding round the corner waiting for my phonecall?"

"Something like that – in fact, pretty much exactly that," Ezra admitted. "I didn't want to lose a moment of the first time we've had together all week."

"The cleverness of you," Aria murmured, as she pulled him close toward her and kicked the door shut behind him. "Now, kiss me, Mr Fitz. It's been way too long."

"Happy to oblige," Ezra replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply.

"You know what? I just realized you've never seen my room," Aria remarked, as they broke apart.

"That's unbelievable. We should rectify that situation immediately," Ezra pronounced, grinning.

"In that case, it's this way," Aria replied, turning and leading him up the staircase. "By the way, I should warn you that it's only got a single bed."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Really? And what, exactly, would we be needing with a bed, Miss Montgomery?"

"Wait and see," Aria smirked. Then, as she led him into her room, she closed the door behind them and turned the key in the lock. "Better safe than sorry."

"That didn't seem to worry you that day at school," Ezra teased, caressing her hair.

"I locked that door too, didn't I?" Aria replied, smiling seductively. "Now let's get this shirt and tie off you. You need to relax…and I know just the way to do it."

"Mmm, you're wonderful," Ezra breathed into Aria's neck.

"This is fantastic," she murmured back. "I'm so glad I convinced Mike to go to that party and stay over. This is so not what my parents had in mind, but it's so great having you here, for once, in my own bed."

"It's a bit small, but at least it's better than my sofa."

"If we were on your sofa right now, _you'd _be on the floor," Aria retorted. "If I'd known how huge your baby was going to be…"

'You'd what? Call the magic baby-reducing fairy?"

Aria giggled. "Silly."

"I did warn you that I was a nine-pound baby - what's wrong?" he asked, as Aria sat up suddenly.

"I think I just heard the front door close," she whispered.

"What? Are you sure? I didn't hear anything."

"Sssh. There's someone coming up the stairs. It must be Mike. He must have forgotten something."

Ezra sat up. "Well, you locked the door, didn't you? So just pretend you're sleeping."

"Uhuh. Keep still."

There were footsteps on the floor outside. Aria and Ezra held their breath as someone tapped lightly on the door.

"Aria?"

It was Ella's voice.

Aria turned terrified eyes on Ezra. _In the closet! Quietly!_ She mouthed. Ezra got up on his tiptoes and gathered up his clothes, bundling them into his arms.

"Aria, are you awake?" Ella knocked at the door and then tried the handle. "Aria, why is this door locked?"

"Your shoes!" Aria hissed, pushing them into Ezra's hands, and then closing the closet door as quietly as she could. "Coming, Mom!" she called, flinging on her bathrobe, and then racing over to the door and unlocking it.

Ella scrutinized her daughter. "What's going on in here?" she asked.

"Nothing! I was just taking a nap," Aria said airily.

"You look awfully flushed," Ella said.

"I know, I know, I was having some kind of a hot flash, so I was kind of napping with nothing on," Aria invented, feeling clever. "That's why I locked the door, in case Mike decided to barge in."

"Where IS Mike?" Ella demanded, looking around.

"Oh – I don't know. I think he went over to Cam's."

"You know you were supposed to stay together this weekend, Aria. That was our deal."

"I know, but he wanted to go, and I've got tons of people just a few blocks away that I could call if anything happened-"

"And it was also part of the deal that you weren't allowed to have anyone over," Ella said.

"I didn't! I haven't! I told you, I was taking a nap."

Ella bent down, and picked up Ezra's tie, which had been lying partially under the bed.

"And this?"

"That's – that's mine," Aria said hurriedly. "I was trying out a new look."

"Why is it that I just don't believe you?" Ella said, threading the silky fabric through her fingers. "Aria, is there someone else here?"

"What? Where? Where would they be?" Aria demanded. "Mom, stop being so suspicious."

"Maybe I would, if you stopped ACTING so suspiciously," Ella replied, evenly.

"I'm not!"

"Oh, so you won't mind if I check under your bed then," Ella said nonchalantly, pulling up the duvet. "Nope, no one there! What about the closet?"

"Mom, this is ridiculous; you're being completely paranoid!" Aria cried desperately. "Mom, don't-"

It was too late. Ella had wrenched open the closet door. And inside, partially hidden by the row of clothes, but still unmistakably naked, was Ezra Fitz.

Not that Ella noticed immediately who he was, for his face was blocked by the clothes hangers. She stepped back in shock.

"I didn't actually believe I was right," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Mom, please, I'm so sorry, just please go and let him get dressed and then we can talk about this-" Aria pleaded.

"Be quiet, Aria. You – get out of my daughter's closet."

_This is it. I'm a dead man,_ Ezra Fitz thought to himself. _I'll never see Aria or my baby again._

He pushed his way out between the clothes, his own strategically held against his crotch, and raised his eyes to meet Ella's.

"YOU!" she gasped in recognition. "What the HELL are you-"

"Mrs Montgomery – Ella –"

"Mom, please –" Aria and Ezra spoke at the same time.

Ella covered her mouth with her hands. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said, her voice muffled. Then she took her hands away and breathed in deeply. "No, I'm not," she said quietly. "But I AM going to find out what the fuck you are doing naked in my daughter's closet, Ezra Fitz."

Ezra opened his mouth, but shut it again, not knowing what on earth he could say. He looked over at Aria, who looked back at him blankly.

"Am I going to have to _ask_?" Ella said in a low voice. "Am I going to have to spell it out for you, MISTER Fitz?"

"Mom, please, let me just-" Aria began.

"I think I want to hear this from your teacher, actually." Ella fairly spat out the word "teacher". "Am I correct in assuming that you are hiding, naked, in my daughter's closet, because when I arrived home I interrupted the two of you," she swallowed hard, "having sex?"

_I'm finished,_ Ezra thought miserably. _It's all over now – my job, my career, my girlfriend, my baby, all gone._

He straightened up and met Ella's eyes. "Yes," he said, simply.

Ella took a step backwards. "Oh dear God," she whispered.

"Mom, please listen, it's not what you think," Aria began.

Ella shook her head. "How could you, Aria? What were you _thinking_?"

"Well, I-"

"And _you_," Ella faced Ezra, not letting her daughter speak. "How could YOU do this? Aria trusted you!_ I_ trusted you! You know she's in a fragile state – emotionally and physically! How could you come in here and seduce her like this; take advantage of her?"

"Ella, please, I didn't –"

"What did he promise you, Aria? What did he say to make you do this?"

"He didn't say anything! It's not like that between us!" Aria cried.

Ella stopped in shock. "Between you? You mean there's been something going on between you two? What kind of sick, perverted man are you, Ezra Fitz? Aria doesn't know what she's doing! She's pregnant! She's hormonal and scared! And then you swoop in with your blue eyes and your charming smile and your "I'm so supportive" act, and you get her to think she wants to sleep with you? This is – this is SICK. You're her teacher; you're supposed to be helping her, not taking advantage of her!"

"Mom, it's not like that, I know exactly what I'm doing-"

"Oh, my God. That day I came into your classroom and caught you two together and you said it was just that you'd felt the baby kicking, and it was nothing – it wasn't nothing, was it? How long has this been going on?"

Aria and Ezra glanced at each other. There was no way out now. Even though Ella hadn't immediately tumbled to the fact that Ezra was the father, she had caught them in bed, or as near as made no matter, and that was illegal, and meant Ezra losing his job at the very least, if not jailtime. The only thing they could do now was tell her the truth, and hope that she would be merciful.

"Well?"

Aria took a deep breath. "Mom. Ezra is…he's the father."


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N**

**Wow, you guys. I've received some great reviews on this story before, but this last chapter's hit it out the park! Thank you SO, SO much for all the awesome feedback. I'm so glad so many of you love this story and that it gets you so excited to see a new chapter! I know exactly what that feels like, so I'm so glad I could bring some to you. **

**Note: There is some stuff in this chapter that miiight be rated M, or at least approaching M, but I've tried not to let it get too porno .**

_Aria and Ezra glanced at each other. There was no way out now. Even though Ella hadn't immediately tumbled to the fact that Ezra was the father, she had caught them in bed, or as near as made no matter, and that was illegal, and meant Ezra losing his job at the very least, if not jailtime. The only thing they could do now was tell her the truth, and hope that she would be merciful._

"_Well?"_

_Aria took a deep breath. "Mom. Ezra is…he's the father."_

"He's the FATHER? Of – of - your baby?"

Aria nodded miserably. Ella spun round to face Ezra, and suddenly she was attacking him, shaking him by the shoulders, and pummeling him with her fists. Ezra, who was still holding his clothes in front of himself to conceal his nakedness, was taken completely by surprise, and unable to defend himself or hold Ella off, he went down like a ninepin – fortunately on the bed.

"Mom! Stop! Stop it!" Aria yelled, trying to drag her mother away.

"How could you? We trusted you with our daughter! How could you do this to her?" Ella cried, still pummeling Ezra.

"MOM! Get off him! Stop it!" Aria shouted, managing at last to pull her mother away from Ezra, who actually still had his clothes in the vital position, and was more bewildered than injured. "Let him just get some clothes on and then we can discuss this calmly, okay?"

"Calmly? You want your English teacher to put his clothes on because I caught you having SEX with him in MY house; oh, and not only that, but you're pregnant with his baby, and you want to discuss this CALMLY?"

"Yes, I do! Because it happened, and it's easier to be calm about it than screaming at the tops of our voices!" Aria yelled back.

Ezra took this opportunity to slide his boxers and pants on under cover of the duvet. Now he climbed off the bed, putting on his shirt.

"Ella, believe me, we never planned this."

"I should bloody well hope not! What kind of person plans to have an affair with his student, and then is stupid enough to get her pregnant?"

"Mom. It's not his fault. We used protection."

"Uhuh. Same as you did with the alleged unknown boy at the party, right?"

"We did! I'm not that stupid."

"Aria, you're sixteen years old and you've been sleeping with one of your teachers. I think that speaks for itself."

Aria crumpled, too shocked to retort.

"Ella, please believe me," Ezra tried again. "We were seeing each other, yes, but we never – I mean, nothing ever happened, but then, well, it did. We weren't thinking, and it was stupid. And we realized how stupid, and we weren't going to do it again, but then Aria found out she was pregnant. From that one time."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better? How did this even happen?" Ella shouted.

Aria and Ezra exchanged glances. How _had_ it happened? The bit where they'd met at a bar, not knowing who the other was? The bit where they'd decided not to see each other, but couldn't deny their connection? Or the bit where Aria had come over to Ezra's apartment late one afternoon, in tears over her parents' crumbling marriage, and…it had just happened?

"_Aria? Oh my God, are you okay? What happened?" Ezra took one look at the tiny figure before him, her eyes red, her mascara running, and pulled her inside his apartment. She was shaking, he realized, as he took her hands, though whether from the cold or from whatever had upset her so badly, he couldn't tell. He led her over to the sofa, and sat her down. He got a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her, and then sat down next to her, putting his arms around her._

"_Tell me what happened," he repeated, rubbing her arms gently through the blanket until he could feel the shivers slow down, and her body become less stiff._

"_Can you…just hold me for a while?" Aria whispered._

_For answer, Ezra kissed the top of her head, and shifted over so that she could lie against him. Still wrapped in the blanket, he caressed her arms and her hair and her face until she finally stopped shivering and relaxed completely in his arms. Feeling her breathing become deep and regular, and assuming she had fallen asleep, Ezra shifted slightly so that he could get up and lower her onto the sofa, but she immediately caught onto his arm to stop him. "Don't go," she said, twisting her head to look up at him._

_Ezra smiled down at her. "I'm not leaving. I thought you were asleep, that's all. Are you feeling any better?"_

"_A bit."_

"_Can you tell me what happened?"_

_Aria sat up so she could face Ezra. "Meredith happened," she stated, her voice tight._

"_Meredith? Your father's –"_

"_Girlfriend, yes," Aria said bitterly. "Supposedly ex-girlfriend, but I don't think _she_ believes that. First she shows up at my mother's gallery, pretending to be all sweet and friendly, and then today she comes to our house. Like she's welcome, or something! And my Mom doesn't have a clue, so she was being all nice to her, and offering her cookies, and the whole time SHE was looking around the house like…like she was appraising it, or something! Like she figured any second it was going to be hers. And then my Dad came home, and she was…I don't know…flirting with him whenever my Mom wasn't looking, and it was so awful, and everytime she looked at me I knew she was laughing at me, because she knows I know, and I can't say anything…" Aria stopped to catch her breath, having rattled this off with barely a pause. "And my Dad didn't do anything; I mean he was clearly uncomfortable, but why didn't he tell her to stop or ask her to leave or something? And I felt like if I stayed there another second I was going to scream, so I just got up and left. I got into my car and started driving, and I didn't even know where to go, and then I found myself here. I needed you, Ezra."_

"_And I'm here for you," Ezra assured her, cupping her face in his hands, and gently rubbing her skin with his thumbs. "I'm sorry this is happening to you, but anytime you need me, I'll be there."_

"_I know. And you don't even need to say anything. Just knowing that you're here, and you care, is all I want," Aria replied. She snuggled down into his arms again. "Do you mind if we just stay here like this, for a while?"_

"_I can't think of anything I'd rather do," Ezra said, sincerely. It seemed like his and Aria's relationship was always so…hurried: a quick kiss in the classroom, a brief touching of fingers as he handed her her assignments…so just sitting here, holding her close to him, was complete bliss. He shifted his body down so that they could both lie there together, he holding her close to him._

_Both Ezra and Aria lost track of how long they lay there, but the sky was dark outside when Aria woke up. She turned around to look at Ezra. Her boyfriend. He was sleeping too, so peacefully, and looking so beautiful in the moonlight streaming into the apartment through the open curtains. Aria had been lying in front of him as he spooned her from behind, and now she turned over and kissed him gently. He didn't move. With a grin, she slid her hands under his shirt, and up, all the way over his chest. Wow. He felt pretty good under there. Keeping her hands where they were, she leaned down and kissed him again, this time much more forcibly. It worked; Ezra's eyes shot open in surprise, then closed again in enjoyment as Aria continued to kiss him. Dropping the blanket to the floor, she slid over so that she was straddling him, and as her hands, still under his shirt, crept round to his back, he sat up to make it easier. They continued to kiss like this, Aria's hands exploring Ezra's upper body, until she began to unbutton his shirt. Ezra pulled away._

"_Hey…what are you doing?" he asked, teasingly. Aria shrugged._

"_Just getting to know you a little better. I like to see what I'm touching."_

_Ezra grinned and allowed Aria to finish unbuttoning the shirt, and then pulled it off._

"_Very impressive," Aria smirked, running her index finger lightly over the contours of his muscles. He wasn't excessively muscular, but he was well-defined, and she liked it. A lot. _If the girls at school who think he's hot could see this, they'd faint_, she thought._

_Ezra pulled her mouth back to his. "Enough of that," he murmured, kissing her deeply. Aria felt his hands snake their way up the inside of her shirt, and she didn't stop him. And why should she? It felt amazing, and clearly Ezra was enjoying it, from the passionate way he was kissing her as his hands slid over her bra and caressed her nipples through the lacy fabric. She kissed him harder as he began to unbutton her white shirtdress, and she shrugged it off her shoulders as he reached around her back to unhook her bra. Suddenly she was topless, and Ezra was staring at her in awe._

"_My God, you're beautiful," he said, meeting her eyes. "You're the most incredible thing I've ever seen."_

_Aria smiled, a little embarrassed at the compliment, but not, she realized, that she was topless in front of a man. It just seemed so right, with Ezra. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. She clasped her hands behind Ezra's head and pulled him towards her, kissing him roughly. She hadn't thought about things going any further than this. Second base was no big deal, right? But she was suddenly feeling very, very turned on by the way Ezra's tongue was snaking its way around her mouth, and his soft caress on her breasts. And, since she was still sitting astride him, judging by what she could feel below her, he was feeling exactly the same way._

_Ezra was indeed feeling the same way, rather uncomfortably so. He wanted Aria, every part of her, so badly that it hurt. The way she was grinding on his lap as she kissed him wasn't helping matters at all. Grabbing her hair from behind, her pulled her head backwards so that he could kiss her breasts. Then, as she moaned with pleasure, he lifted his hips up and pushed her back down the other way, so that he was now the one straddling her. She grinned._

"_Why, Mr Fitz, what are you doing?"_

"_This," Ezra murmured, running his tongue from her bellybutton, up between her breasts. "And also this." He took her right nipple in his mouth and flicked his tongue lightly over it, then did the same to the left. Aria moaned and arched her back, pushing her chest towards him, silently asking him to continue, and he did. Then he was on her mouth again, roughly, hungrily, kissing her. Before she knew what she was doing, she was unbuttoning his pants. Her hands were inside before Ezra even realized what she'd done._

"_Aria," he muttered, planting kisses down her neck and up again. "I don't-"_

"_Sssh. Just go with it," Aria whispered into his ear, her breath hot and damp, turning him on even more. For reply, he moved back to kissing her mouth, at the same time lifting his hips off of her, so that she could slide his jeans down his legs. He kicked them off onto the floor. Underneath he was wearing black boxer briefs, and Aria toyed with the waistband as they stared at each other for a moment._

"_Your turn," Ezra said teasingly, and Aria arched her hips up so he could pull off her black leggings. Ezra looked down at her, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, completely naked except for a tiny scrap of black panties._

"_Wow," he said._

"_Wow yourself," Aria replied, sitting up to meet him. She kissed him tenderly, and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore, and responded with a force that pushed her backwards. He kissed her madly and hungrily, at times even biting her lips without seeming to realize it. Aria responded in kind, dragging her nails down his back, kissing back with rough abandon. She wanted him so badly she couldn't even describe it, or believe it. As she ran her hands over his back she realized that somehow he'd already removed his boxers, and that he was tugging at the hem of her thong._

"_Ezra," she whispered._

"_I know. We need –"_

"_There's one in my purse," Aria replied, lightly biting his neck. "In that outside zip."_

_Ezra stopped kissing her and sat up, reaching for her purse, which she'd dropped on the floor earlier when she arrived. Aria sat up too, draping her arms around him from behind, unwilling to let him go even for a moment. She kissed his neck and shoulders as she watched him roll the condom on, and then, as he turned around and lowered her to the sofa beneath him again, his eyes locked with hers for a moment. He seemed to be looking questioningly at her, and she realized that he wanted to make sure she was ready for this. She nodded, and he smiled his cute half-smile that she loved, and then, not taking his eyes off her, she felt him slowly, gently, entering her. It didn't hurt like she'd heard it would; in fact, it didn't hurt at all. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in deeper. It felt amazing, just having him there, being as close as he could be to her._

_For a few moments they just lay like that, together, looking into each other's eyes. Then Ezra leaned in to kiss her again, and as he kissed her harder and harder he began to thrust, at first gently, and then harder and harder to match the kisses. Aria was overwhelmed with the feeling of pleasure sweeping over her, and she instinctively lifted her legs higher to make Ezra go deeper inside her._

_And when it was over, and they both lay panting, exhausted, on the sofa, tangled in each other's limbs, neither of them knew that at that moment they'd created a new life. Despite having taken precautions, and used protection, Aria had gotten pregnant._

"Well?" Ella demanded.

"Look, Ella, you have every right to be angry," Ezra said. "We've both been lying to you for months, because the truth was so-"

"So what? Horrible? Disgusting? ILLEGAL?" Ella shouted.

"Yes – I mean no! What we did was wrong, yes. But it never _felt_ wrong. I love Aria, and I love our child more than I can say."

"And this is supposed to make me feel better? Oh, you love her, so that's all right then? You can sleep with half the girls in the school, as long as you love them, is that it?"

"Mom, don't get carried away," Aria interrupted. "Look, we tried not to, okay? I even applied for a transfer to be in another class so we wouldn't ever see each other. But it didn't work. We fell in love."

"Jesus Christ, this is so, so incredibly wrong on so many levels," Ella muttered, sinking down on the bed. "So you were seeing each other since the beginning of the year?"

"We met before school started. That was how it began," Ezra explained. "She came into a bar where I was, and we just started talking, and we just stayed talking for hours. I thought she was the most incredible girl I'd ever met." He glanced over at Aria, who smiled in acknowledgement. "And then when I saw her sitting in my English class, I felt like I'd lost everything. And we tried not to go back, to just keep the relationship – professional – but it never worked."

"Yes well, clearly you didn't try hard enough!" Ella snapped back. "You don't just get to forget the rules, forget your position as the responsible adult, because you have the hots for a pretty girl in your sophomore English class! Jesus Christ, Ezra, she's sixteen years old!"

"I know that. But it wasn't like that. I didn't "have the hots for her", as you say. I was in love with her. I fell in love with her the first day we met."

"You did?" Aria demanded, her eyes shining.

"I did." He said, smiling back at her.

"Enough of that!" Ella snapped, hating the idea of Ezra looking at her daughter like that. "So, let me get this straight. I want to know when, I want to know where, I want to know how long all this has been going on under my nose, and every single thing you've lied to me about. Go on."

"Seriously, Mom? All the details? Why do you need to know all that? Isn't it enough that we met before school, that we ended up dating and now I'm pregnant?"

"No, it's not. I need to know everything."

"But Mom, you'll just keep thinking about it, and it won't help, really –"

"Aria. Just tell me everything. And I mean, EVERYTHING."


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32 One More Secret**

Aria sighed. "Fine. We met in a bar on Labor Day, then the next day I went to school, and he was my teacher. We discussed it and decided it would be a bad idea for anything else to happen between us. Then we ended up at that matinee of _It Happened One Night,_ and it was just horribly awkward –"

"Oh God, I remember that. And I was teasing you for not telling me how good-looking he was," Ella groaned.

"Well then, later I was walking home in the rain, and he stopped and gave me a lift because I was soaked, and, well…we realized we couldn't stay apart."

"Actually, no, even after that we tried, remember?" Ezra interjected. "We were supposed to discuss everything because we knew it was a bad idea, but then you came over and we just ended up talking about –" He stopped.

"What?" Ella demanded.

"I – I told him about Dad, and Meredith, Mom," Aria said uncertainly.

"You _told_ him? About our private affairs?"

"I had to talk to someone, Mom! You didn't know yet, and Meredith kept showing up everywhere, and – and taunting me, and Dad didn't know how to stop her, or he just didn't try, I don't know, and I had to tell someone, someone who wasn't involved but cared enough to listen! And then – and then –"

"What?"

"The night Meredith showed up here, I just had to get out of here, so I drove to Ezra's, and I just cried and cried and he was THERE for me, Mom, and…that's when it happened."

"When – you mean, when you – for the first time?" Ella said blankly, as though she couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Um, yes. Seriously Mom, is this helping? Are you sure you want to know all this?"

"I have to. Because knowing is better than wondering, much as I don't like hearing it," Ella admitted. "So when you told us you slept with a boy because you were so upset about your father's affair…"

"That was sort of true. I just left out who he was," Aria replied. "But don't blame it all on Dad, Mom. We were in love…it could have happened anyway. I don't know."

"So when did you find out you were pregnant?"

"About five weeks later. My period was late, and I kept waking up feeling like crap, so I took some home pregnancy tests. Then Emily took me to her gynae. I told you this part."

"The one true part. So when did you tell him?" she nodded at Ezra.

"The night I fainted at the parent-teacher conference. When I realized I'd have to tell the doctor I was pregnant, I had to say something. I mean, I was always going to tell him, but that kind of rushed things."

"Dear God. So all that time I was thanking you for helping, and staying, and being so supportive, you were actually-"

"Feeling like the biggest hypocrite in the world," Ezra finished for her. "In between my state of shock."

Ella threw him a look that said plainly, _"You've only yourself to blame",_ and turned back to Aria.

"So after that, you two schemed and came up with the "I don't know who the father is" story?"

"That was entirely my idea," Aria said, defensively, on Ezra's behalf. "I didn't know how to tell you the truth, that Ezra was the father. You're not wrong, Mom. Just hearing it, it sounds awful and wrong. But we loved – we love – each other. And if no one knew, then we could stay together. And I really was going to give up the baby, and then Ezra and I would have stayed together until I left high school and we could finally be together out in the open. But when I realized how much we both loved this baby, I had to do everything I could to try and keep it. So…we lied."

"And all that staying late after school to work on your extra credit stories…that was just an excuse to be together?" Ella demanded.

"Mostly," Aria admitted.

"Although she did get some stories done too," Ezra added.

"And when you were in that car accident…oh God, that's where you kept going, wasn't it, Aria? To see Ezra in the hospital?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah. The day you caught me and Spencer coming back from lunch, that's where we'd been."

"So Spencer knew? About you and your teacher? Who else knew?"

"Only Emily and Hanna. I had to tell them; once I found out I was pregnant, I mean. I needed them."

Ella put her head in her hands. "This is all so…I don't even know. I really don't know how to deal with this."

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I'm just really, really sorry I did this to you," Aria said, dissolving into tears. Ella's maternal instinct kicked in, and she pulled Aria down on the bed next to her and put her arms around her. "Sssh, it's okay, sweetie. It's okay."

"Mom, what are you going to do?" Aria asked after a moment, pulling away from Ella's arms and sniffing. Ezra was leaning against her nightstand, and he handed her the box of tissues from it.

"Thanks, love," Aria said without thinking, then stiffened as she realized what she had said. Ella looked at her, shaking her head. "Honestly? I don't know," she replied. "Actually, yes I do. At least, I know something we're NOT doing. And that's telling your father."

Ezra and Aria glanced at each other, confused. "Why not?" Aria asked, uncertainly. Not that she WANTED her Dad to find out, but it had seemed inevitable now that Ella knew.

"Because," Ella said, "I honestly don't know what he'll do. You two think _I'm _upset? If Byron finds out about this right now, he could actually try and kill you, Mr Fitz. And no, I'm not trying to scare you," she continued as Aria opened her mouth to protest. "For a father to find out that someone he trusted with his daughter has not only taken advantage of her, but got her pregnant -"

"Mom! For the last time; Ezra didn't take advantage of me," Aria cried, exasperated.

"Whatever. That's how it's going to look, not only to your father, but to everyone else," Ella said shortly. "Which is why no one is going to know about this. You're due in four weeks, Aria, and I'm not going to let anything affect the last few weeks of your pregnancy. And then, once the baby's born..."

"What?" Aria demanded.

Ella shook her head. "I don't know what you two thought you were doing. How could you possibly even think of keeping the baby in a situation like this? You should have stuck to the adoption plan all along. In fact - I'm sorry, Aria, but I think the best thing for everyone would be to go back to that plan. You can't possibly raise your teacher's child."

"Mom, no!" Aria gasped.

"Yes, she can," Ezra interrupted quietly. "WE can."

"Excuse me? You think you and your seventeen-year-old student can raise this baby together?" Ella gave a short laugh of derision.

"I'm not saying it would be easy," Ezra replied calmly. He came over to the bed and sat down next to Aria, placing his hand on hers. Ella drew a sharp breath, but he didn't move. "Aria still has two years of school left. But after that, we'll be able to be together. We can raise our daughter together. I'm not giving up that life we have planned because the first two years are going to be hard."

"Hard? Try illegal, and wrong, and – and disgusting! And as for the life you've got planned, what the hell sort of life is that going to be for Aria? She should be going to college, writing, moving to a big city, getting an exciting job -"

"Mom," Aria interrupted. "Plans change. That's the life you wanted for me, and yeah, it's kind of what I wanted too; well, now that life is going to include a baby. And it's going to include Ezra. So maybe it'll take longer to do all the stuff I wanted to do; and maybe we'll have to make some sacrifices. But we're not just giving away our baby because it'll make things easier. We LOVE her, Mom. And we haven't even met her yet."

"Of course you love her, honey," Ella sighed. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't. But what sort of life can you give her, when no one will even know who her father is except the two of you? And me," she added as an afterthought. "And when people find out - and believe me, things have a way of coming out - what is it going to be like for her then? Mr Fitz could get arrested, for Christ's sakes! She could be taken away from you!"

Aria crossed her arms tightly over her bump. "Then we're just going to have to make sure they never find out," she said fiercely.

"Aria. These things can't be kept secret forever."

"We've been doing a pretty good job of it for the last ten months," Aria retorted.

"Until your mother came home early and found you in bed with your English teacher," Ella responded drily.

Aria sighed. "Mom - what ARE you doing home, anyway? Dad's not coming, is he?" she said in sudden fear.

Ella shook her head. "He wanted to get up early tomorrow and play golf all day with some bigwig from Harvard," she said. "We would have had to leave right after that, and I didn't feel like a day sitting alone in the hotel. So I decided to come home by myself. The Harvard guy will give your Dad a lift tomorrow. It's funny," she said, "your father was trying to get in with this guy because of you. Grease a few wheels, get to know some people in the right places, so that when College acceptance time came, you'd be in with a shot. I don't know what he'll say when he finds out you're planning on running off with your English teacher right after school."

"It doesn't make any difference who I'm with!" Aria cried. "He knew I was going to have a baby and that it would be two years old by the time I went to college - and that because of that, college might not happen for me - or at least, not just yet! The fact is, the baby is going to have a father who supports both me and her, and that's a GOOD thing!"

"Aria. Don't ever try and paint _this_," she waved her hand at Ezra, who was now holding Aria's hand tightly," as a good thing."

"Don't talk about Ezra like that," Aria said fiercely.

"Aria, it's okay. Your mom has every right to be angry at me," Ezra said soothingly.

"Damn straight I do. I'm never going to get over how you abused your position, and betrayed the trust we had in you. She's my daughter, you jerk! My little girl. What gave you the right to come in and ruin her life like this?"

"Ella, we made a mistake. It was stupid, but it happened. But sometimes things don't go to plan. Aria should never have gotten pregnant, but somehow it happened-"

"It wouldn't have if you'd just kept your dick in your pants!" Ella lashed back.

"Mom!" Aria said, shocked. "Get a grip. I'm not exactly the only 16-year-old girl who's having sex."

"But I hope like hell you're the only one having sex with her TEACHER!"

"Whatever! I could have gotten pregnant whoever I was with! We used protection, I told you-"

"But the fact remains that you entered into a relationship with someone who should have known better, who should have stopped it. And for that, I am never going to forgive you, Ezra Fitz."

"I know," Ezra replied, evenly. "But for what it's worth, I do love Aria. I love her more than I ever thought I could love anyone. And even if there was no baby, I know we would still be together now - and that we always will be. This is it. She's the one. The baby complicates things, of course it does. We never would have chosen for this to happen at this point in our lives. But it did, and we're going to have her, and raise her, and she is going to have two parents who love her more than anything in the world - and a grandmother who'll love her too, no matter how angry she feels at me."

"I DO love her," Ella said, suddenly tired. "But now I have to face the fact that the granddaughter I've been looking forward to meeting was created out of something wrong, and sick, and that I hate-"

"Mom. She was created out of love," Aria said, taking Ella's hand with her free one. "I know it LOOKS wrong from the outside, but we love each other. Isn't that better than how I told you it happened? With some nameless drunk guy at a party?"

"It's still illegal, Aria," Ella said, shaking her head.

"Mom-"

"I could have run away at any time, Ella," Ezra interrupted. "I could have saved my own skin, left town, moved on…but I didn't, because I'm in love with your daughter. I'm willing to risk everything because I want to be with her and our baby. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Ezra," Aria began.

"Honestly, Mr Fitz? I don't know," Ella said, shaking her head. "This is way too much to process right now. All I know is I need to think about this. A lot. And you – I think you need to leave."

"Guys!" Aria shouted, and Ezra and Ella both stopped in surprise and looked at her.

"I think my water just broke."


	33. Chapter 33

**I know, I know. I suck. I am so bad at updating this that it's ridiculous. And while I have been ridiculously busy (I'm emigrating next month), I could have found time to write if I'd really been in the mood. I just haven't been! But last night's episode perked me up a bit (yay for steamy kisses in the rain, boo for not seeing more of that scene), so here's the next installment! For "Previously on Pretty Little Liars: One More Secret", click back to the previous chapter!**

**Thanks to everyone who keeps reviewing and sending my PMs about this story! You warm my heart. :-)  
**

* * *

Chapter 33

"Hooooly crap," Ezra said, in the same, almost calm way he always did when he was shocked.

"Are you sure?" Ella demanded at the same time.

"I think I can tell by the giant patch of wetness I'm sitting in!" Aria retorted, getting up and surveying the wetness on her bed and on the back of her robe.

"But it's too soon! You still have five weeks left! And you said the doctor said there was no chance of Lily coming early!" Ezra protested, speaking faster than he ever had, in his agitation.

"Yeah well, apparently doctors don't know everything! So if one of you will just get me some clothes, then – ow ow ow!"

"Aria! Are you having contractions?" Ella asked, concerned.

Aria exhaled deeply. "If I'm not, then there was something very wrong with that pizza I had for lunch," she murmured, her eyes screwed up. "Holy freaking shit, this hurts!"

"Breathe in deeply, and exhale through the pain," Ella instructed.

"We should get her to the hospital," Ezra said nervously, sitting down beside Aria, who had sunk down on the bed again.

"I know that!" Ella snapped. "Get her some clothes, for God's sakes!"

"Oh – right." Ezra looked around wildly, and made a dive for the first thing he saw. "Here you go."

"Ezra, I'm not going to the hospital in a miniskirt!" Aria snapped. "Get me some sweats or something!"

"Oh," Ezra said, looking down at what he had grabbed, which was indeed a skirt slightly on the tiny side.

"Let me do it," Ella said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly at Ezra. "Bottom drawer, right?"

"Yes. Ezra," Aria turned to her boyfriend, "Ezra, look at me. Calm down. It's going to be okay. All right?"

Ezra exhaled a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding, and put his hands over Aria's, which she'd placed on either side of his face. "It's going to be all right," he repeated.

"We're going to have our baby," Aria said, smiling.

"We're going to – holy crap, we're going to have our baby!" Ezra suddenly grinned. "Aria, I –"

"Let her go, Mr Fitz, and let me get her dressed," Ella interrupted. "In fact, maybe you should wait outside."

"Mom, get over it," Aria groaned. "He's already seen me naked; I don't think another time is going to make much of a difference – ow – someone just help me into the goddamn sweats, okay?"

"Okay, okay, we're helping," Ella replied. Together she and Ezra got Aria into the sweatpants and a tank top, and Ella ran and got the hospital bag she and Aria had packed weeks before.

"Ella, you take the bag and go and unlock the car and make sure there's space for Aria on the back seat," Ezra instructed, suddenly taking charge. "I'll help Aria downstairs."

Ella glanced from him to Aria, torn, and then, realizing the sense in his words, nodded and went downstairs.

"Can you walk? Or would you like me to carry you?" Ezra asked.

Aria laughed. "You're looking at me like I'm a porcelain doll! I won't break, I promise."

"I know. I'm just – well, scared…I mean, this is five weeks too early, and if anything happens to you or Lily I would never forgive myself-"

"I know. I'm scared, too. But we're going to be okay, Ezra. I really believe we are. All of us."

"I love you, Aria."

"I love you too. Now pick me up and carry me down the damn stairs like the knight in shining armor I know you are."

Ezra grinned. "Yes, milady." He hoisted her up into his arms. "It's a good thing you were so tiny to start with," he muttered.

" 'Were'? Oh, really? Just wait until I haven't got a giant baby trying to force its way out of me, and I'll get you for that, Ezra Fitz!"

"Hey! No hitting while I'm carrying you downstairs," Ezra protested. "That's not playing fair."

"There you two are! I don't know if it's escaped your notice, but time is kind of a pressing issue right now!" Ella shouted, exasperated. She opened the back passenger door of her car. "Let me help you put Aria in here-"

"Mom, I'm not an invalid; I can climb in the car myself," Aria retorted. "Put me down, Ezra."

"As you wish," Ezra replied, suiting action to the word, and Aria clambered into the back seat. Ezra was about to follow her when Ella stepped between him and the car, and shut the door.

"I don't think you should come, Mr Fitz," she said, gazing steely-eyed at him, and making sure to emphasize the "Mr" just a little.

"What? Of course I'm coming!" Ezra protested.

"No, you're not," Ella said calmly but coldly.

"Yes I bloody well am! That's my baby that's about to be born!"

"So I hear. And what were you going to do if Aria had gone into labor, say, tomorrow, and you weren't there? And I hadn't come early and found out about you? Would you be coming along to the hospital then?"

"Well, no, but-"

"But nothing. No one's supposed to know about you being involved with my daughter, right? How long do you think that will last if you come parading into the hospital, into the birthing room, into the nursery? Five minutes, that's how long. This is a small town, Mr Fitz, and people talk. I don't care how reckless you're feeling, you're not going to do anything more to hurt my daughter."

"I would never hurt Aria. I love her," Ezra protested.

"If that's true, then you'll leave now. Go home and wait, and I'll call you after it's over."

"What? Mom, no! I want him to come! I need him there!" Aria cried, having opened the car window to see what was taking Ella and Ezra so long.

Ella turned to her. "Aria, I know you're very emotional right now, but honestly this is the best thing to do if we don't want people to find out."

"I don't care if they find out! Let them find out!" Aria shouted hysterically. "I love Ezra Fitz! I LOVE EZRA FITZ! I don't care who knows!"

"Aria, calm down," Ezra and Ella both said at the exact same time. They glanced at each other uncertainly.

"Look, Mom," Aria said, "maybe I'm not exactly rational right now. All I know is, I'm about to have a baby, and I'm terrified. She's coming early, and there might be something wrong. And what I want most in the world is for her father, the man I love, to be there with me, whatever happens. Can you do that for me?"

"Aria, I'm just –"

"For God's sakes, Mom! I'm in fucking labor here! At the very least, can you let Ezra get in the car and continue this discussion while you drive?" Aria yelled.

Ezra raised his eyebrows, and Ella stepped aside. "Get in the car," she snapped to him, as she went around to the driver's side. Ezra slid in, and let Aria lean against him. She was shaking, and he put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "You're going to be okay," he whispered into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay, look," Ella said, as she reversed the car out of the driveway and sped off in the direction of the hospital, "I get what you're saying, Aria. I do. He's – however wrong it is – the father of your baby. I don't like it one bit, but that's the least of the issues now. You might think you don't care who knows, but you _will _care, trust me, when everyone does. Everyone at school, everyone at Hollis, everyone your father and I know, everyone you'll see in every store or restaurant you ever go into from now on – they'll all know you're the girl who had an affair with her teacher and got pregnant. You don't want that."

"Mom, you're overreacting," Aria replied. "When you took me to the hospital the night I fainted, Ezra was there, wasn't he? No one commented on that. I told the doctor I was pregnant and I stayed overnight, but there wasn't any gossip about that either. No one at school even knew I was pregnant until you called and told the Principal! Sure, it's a small town, but it's not _that _small. If we don't make a big deal out of Ezra being there no one will even notice who he is-"

"What about your father?" Ella interrupted.

"What _about _him? You're not going to call him, are you?" Aria demanded with her eyes screwed closed as another contraction hit her.

Ella glanced at her daughter in the rear view mirror, grimacing at how close and tenderly Ezra was holding her. "Of course I'm going to call him, the second we get to the hospital! You're in labor! He needs to come home."

"Mom, please, don't call him," Aria begged, unhappily. "At least, not till Lily's here. If he arrives and Ezra has to leave, I – I – don't know what I'll do."

"Until today, Ezra was never going to be at the hospital at all," Ella replied, exasperated. "And suddenly now that I know about you two, you think it's all just going to work out beautifully? That you can play happy families together and I'll just cover for you with your father for as long as you want?"

"_You _said you weren't going to tell him," Aria protested.

"Only because I don't know what he might do!" Ella snapped. "It's NOT because I support _this_ in any way. Frankly, as it stands, I'd like nothing more than never to see you again, Ezra Fitz. I'd love to call the police and report you for statutory rape. I'd love for you to leave town, leave my daughter alone, and never come back. And yet here we are, driving to the hospital together, so that my daughter – my _child_ – can give birth to your baby. And you two are asking me for favours?"

"I'm not leaving Aria," Ezra stated, quietly but firmly. "I know it wasn't the plan, but I'm here now, and she needs me. We can talk about what has to happen afterwards. After our baby is born. But right now, she's scared – hell, I'm scared – and I need to be here for her. So please, let me go in."

"Please, Mom," Aria added. "I thought I could do this without him. But I'm so scared. I've never been this scared. I need him."

Ella glanced back in her rear view mirror again in time to see Ezra, who was still cradling Aria to him, press his lips against the side of her head and whisper, "I love you". She sighed.

"Fine. It's against my better judgment, but fine. We're here now, anyway; as soon as I can find parking."

"Why don't we do what we did last time, and I'll take Aria in while you park the car?" Ezra suggested.

Ella stopped behind a car that was waiting for a space. "Because I don't want you to draw any attention to yourself," she said shortly, turning round to look him in the eye. "I'll take Aria in, I'll get her admitted, I'll do all the talking. Got that? You come along and keep quiet. No one needs to know who you are, except for the doctor and whoever's in the delivery room. Is that clear?"

Ezra and Aria glanced at each other, and Ezra nodded. "Crystal."

Ella glared at him, not sure if he was trying to be funny or not. Then, as the car in front pulled into its space, she had to turn her back to the couple, and drive forward.

"There's a space up at the end there," Ezra pointed out.

"I see it," Ella snapped. She zipped into the spot and turned off the ignition. "Aria, can you walk this far?"

"I'll be fine," Aria assured her. Then, as Ezra helped her out of the car, she swayed. "Ouch. Or, maybe not."

"I'll run ahead and bring a wheelchair back," Ezra offered, and as Ella nodded acquiescence, he took off down the parking lot towards the main entrance of the hospital. Aria sank back down into the back seat of the car.

"I thought they exaggerated this stuff on tv," she muttered.

"Aria," Ella began, then stopped.

"What?"

"It's just – I'm really struggling to understand this. How can you – do you really love him?"

"Mom. Haven't we just spent the last hour trying to explain this to you?"

"Yes, but now that he's not here-"

Aria stared at her mother. "Oh my god, you still think he's somehow forced me into this, don't you? That he's taking advantage of me?"

"Well…no, not exactly, but Aria, you're sixteen years old! You're a child and he's an adult. How can you possibly-"

"Have real feelings for him?" Aria interrupted.

"Yes!" Ella snapped back.

"Because all of that doesn't matter! There's no way in hell this should have worked out between us, and yet somehow it did! Because what we have is special, and the shit we've gone through to be together should prove that!"

"We'll talk about this later. Here he comes with your wheelchair," Ella said. "Come on, up you get."

"Everything okay?" Ezra asked, panting a little, as Ella helped Aria out the car and over into the chair.

"Everything's great," Aria replied, taking hold of his hand. "Let's go have a baby."


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34 One more secret

"_Everything okay?" Ezra asked, panting a little, as Ella helped Aria out the car and over into the chair._

"_Everything's great," Aria replied, taking hold of his hand. "Let's go have a baby."_

"NO hand holding out here, for God's sake!" Ella hissed, and Ezra dropped Aria's hand as though it were lead. Ella rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered. "No, _I'll_ push her, Mr Fitz. You just hang back like you're not even here, okay?"

"Okay," Ezra replied. He could wait till they were inside, in the delivery room, if it meant being able to be in there with Aria. To see his baby born. As horrible as it was, the way Ella had caught them, it had actually turned out rather well. As things had stood, he probably wouldn't have been able to see his daughter until she was a few days old. Now he would get to see the first moments of her life, her first breath, her first cry...it was incredible. For months he'd been forcing himself not to think about what he was missing, but now that he was going to be there, the thought of it was overwhelming. If only it wasn't so early. Lily had five weeks to go, and despite the fact that babies were born early all the time, naturally Ezra couldn't help but be afraid.

"Please let her be all right, please let her be all right," he found himself repeating as he stood in the waiting area of the hospital lobby, while Ella and Aria went over to reception to find out where they had to go.

"Excuse me?" said a woman who was sitting right next to where he was standing, muttering.

"Oh – nothing. Sorry, just talking to myself," Ezra explained, confusedly. The woman raised an eyebrow and went back to her magazine, and Ezra walked away, feeling silly.

He looked across at Ella and Aria, and seeing them turn away from the desk, hurried over to join them. "Where to now?" he demanded.

"Fourth floor. Apparently I can get settled in a room so long, and you can wait with me while Mom checks me in and does all the paperwork," Aria said, happily. Ezra gave her a quizzical look.

"What's that look for?" Aria demanded as Ella pushed her into the elevator and pressed four.

"Nothing. I'm just amazed at how happy you look, when you're in _labour_," Ezra replied, shaking his head.

"I'm in between contractions, it seems. Anyway, of course I'm happy. You're here. That was the one thing that was going to suck, having this baby without you. And now I'm not."

"Aria! Don't cry," Ezra said tenderly, seeing tears welling up in Aria's eyes. He squatted down beside her wheelchair. "It's going to be amazing. _You're_ going to be amazing."

"Only because you're here," Aria replied, placing her hand on his cheek and leaning in to kiss him.

"Stop that, you two! We're nearly at our floor. Do I have to remind you again that we're in a public place?" Ella said, irritatedly.

"Sorry, Mom," Aria said awkwardly. Ella just shook her head, and then, as the doors opened, she wheeled Aria out. Ezra followed, slowly, and stood back as Ella explained the situation to the maternity ward receptionist. Not the whole situation, of course. Just that Aria was in labour, and so on. The receptionist appeared to tell them to wait while she called someone, so Ezra, suddenly realising his legs were shaking, sat down on a nearby chair. Aria glanced round and caught his eye.

_We're having a baby_, she mouthed, pointing vigorously at her baby bump. Ezra chuckled. She was so utterly adorable.

_I know_, he mouthed back. _I love you_.

"Mrs Montgomery?" a big nurse with a pleasant face had just arrived. She glanced from Ella to Aria, clearly not quite sure who "Mrs" Montgomery was.

"I'm Mrs Montgomery – Ella – and this is my daughter, Aria. She's the one having the baby," Ella explained, quickly.

"Yes, I can see that!" the nurse said cheerfully. "Well, Aria, let's get you to your room, get you settled, and then Dr Green will come and take a look at you. How far apart are your contractions?"

"Um...no one's really been counting," Aria admitted. "But it feels like five or six minutes?"

"Hmm. Well, we'll get you set up with a foetal monitor, and then we'll know for sure," the nurse replied easily. "I'm Susan, by the way."

"Thank you, Susan," Ella said.

"Are you going to be around for the whole thing?" Aria asked quickly. "Like, in the delivery room when the baby's born, and stuff?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Susan replied.

"In that case..." Aria beckoned to Ezra, who came over at once. "This is Ezra. He's the father."

Susan raised her eyebrows, clearly confused as to why he hadn't been with them from the start, but merely said, "Congratulations, Dad. You ready for the next few hours?"

" Couldn't be more excited if I tried," Ezra said, grinning hugely, seeing Ella rolling her eyes, but not caring.

"Well then! Let's get this show on the road," Susan smiled back. "This way."

She led the way down a corridor that ran behind the receptionist's desk, right to the last room on the right.

"This is my favourite room," she explained, as she went over to open the curtains. "Firstly, it's one of the only ones that looks over the garden, and not the parking lot – not that you'll have a lot of time to enjoy that bit," she added, chuckling. "Also, it's a little bigger, so things don't get in the way as much, and it's got that little sofa in the corner" – she pointed to a comfy-looking two-seater – "so Gran and Dad can have somewhere comfortable to sit while they wait with you."

Ella's eyes widened at the use of the word "Gran", and Aria chuckled. Susan didn't seem to notice, as she pulled down the bedcovers and motioned for Aria to get in. Ezra and Ella helped her out of the chair, and she clambered on.

"Oh, it feels nice to lie down," Aria said, stretching her legs. "So comfy. I think I could just nap here, right now – oh, crap! Ow bloody owowowow."

She clutched onto Ezra's hand, and he grimaced as she dug her nails into his palm.

"Contraction, eh? Well, let's get this on you," said Susan, holding up a wide strap, which was connected to a machine on a table next to the bed. Aria sat up painfully and allowed the nurse to strap it around her belly. Susan fiddled with a few wired and knobs, and then stood back and the machine started beeping, softly but regularly. A little graph printout began coming out of the front.

"That's fascinating," Ezra said, staring. "That's our baby's heartbeat?"

"Yup. Looks fine to me, but of course the doctor will tell you more when she arrives. In the meantime, you get settled, Aria, and I'll be back in a few minutes. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Susan," Aria replied, breathing more easily now, the contraction having passed.

Susan exited the room, and the three of them stared at each other for a second, not sure what should happen next.

"Well," Ella said, sinking down on the sofa, "this is not how I thought this day would be, that's for damn sure."

"Me neither," Ezra and Aria said at the same time, and they both laughed, looking at each other lovingly. Ella stayed silent. Aria glanced across at her mother, and realised something of what she must be feeling. First she had had to get used to the idea that her sixteen-year-old daughter was having a baby, and that she herself was going to be a grandmother. But then she had got excited, and made plans, gone to doctor's appointments, and planned to be there with Aria, in the delivery room, when the baby was born. And now she had to face the fact that not only had Aria been lying to her for her entire pregnancy, but that Aria's English teacher was the baby's father. And beyond that, they had talked her into letting him be there for the baby's birth, and not her. It must be a strange feeling, to be left out of something like this, something you didn't even want to happen in the first place, but were now looking forward to.

"Ezra," Aria said, "could you do me a favour?"

"Of course."

"Can you take my phone and call my friends? They'll want to know I'm having the baby."

"Sure. But I don't need your phone, love. I have Hanna, Emily and Spencer's numbers already."

"You do?" Aria asked, surprised.

"Of course. They have mine too. We needed to be able to get hold of each other in case anything happened," Ezra explained. "After all, they are - were the only ones who knew about us."

Aria looked over at Ella, expecting her to say something, but Ella was just staring at the floor. Aria nodded at Ezra, who understood, and left.

"Mom?"

Ella raised her head.

"Mom, bring a chair and come and sit over here," Aria asked. Ella picked up the one other chair in the room, and came over to Aria's bedside and sat down. Aria took her hand.

"Mom, I'm sorry about how things worked out," she began.

Ella gave a harsh laugh. "No, you're not. You're as happy as a dog with two tails that HE's here."

Aria shrugged. "Yes, I am. And I'm more grateful than I can ever explain, that you let him stay. But that's not what I meant. I'm sorry that it worked out this way for _you_."

Ella looked at her daughter in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Just that...I know you weren't happy about the baby when you first found out, of course you weren't, but I know that you've started to get excited about her now. And I know you were looking forward to being there when she's born, and now Ezra's going to be there instead, and you don't even want him near me, let alone taking your place, and...well, I don't know...I'm just sorry that I ruined this for you..."

"Oh, Aria! This isn't about me. Yes, on some level you're right; of course I was looking forward to this day and sharing it with you, but you're the one having the baby, you're the one who's scared, and you need to have someone with you that you want there. And if that's Ezra Fitz...well, that's why I let him stay. Not because I forgive him for what he's done, and not because I'm not angry anymore – because I am – but because your need right now is greater than my feelings. So I'm letting him stay and see his child be born, because I'm your mother, and what you need is the most important thing to me, and always will be."

"Mom," Aria said, tears streaming down her face, "You're amazing. If I can do something like that for Lily oneday, I hope I'm strong enough to do it like you are."

"You just tell her not to have a baby when she's sixteen, and I'll be happy with that," Ella said, also tearing up, but smiling. Aria smiled too.

"I wouldn't have chosen this in a million years, but I can't imagine not having her now," said Aria. "I haven't even met her yet, but I'm so in love with her, I can't even describe it. I can't wait to be her mother."

"I know exactly what you mean," Ella responded, squeezing her daughter's hand.

"Oh crap, here comes another contraction," Aria gasped. "I'm getting pretty sick of these things. Where are the _drugs_?"

"When the doctor comes I'm sure she'll organise that," Ella said, soothingly. "In the meantime, just breathe through it. Remember?"

"Yeah yeah. It doesn't help as much as they say," Aria complained. Then, as the door opened, she looked eagerly to see who it was.

A tall, fair-haired man she didn't recognise came in, followed by Ezra, who immediately went over to the other side of the bed from Ella, and kissed Aria on the forehead.

"So you're Aria," said the fair-haired man, who wore a white coat and was clearly a doctor. "I've just met your boyfriend outside, practically screaming with excitement on the phone –" Ezra shook his head, as if to say, "Was not!" – "and this must be your mother – Ella, is it?"

"That's right." Ella stood up to shake his hand.

"I'm Dr Clarke. I'll be delivering your baby, Aria."

"What? Where's Dr Green?" Ella demanded.

"Dr Green is in Miami-"

"Miami? What's she doing there? I'm having a baby here!" Aria cried.

The doctor smiled, clearly used to this. "Unfortunately she's attending a conference. You weren't due for another five weeks, you see. You can't always plan these things precisely. But don't worry, I've got all her notes and your patient file, and I've delivered hundreds of babies – many in this very room, in fact. So please feel free to ask me anything, but don't worry! You're in good hands."

"Well, okay," Aria replied. "As long as you can give me the good drugs, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

Dr Clarke laughed. "Let's do an exam first, shall we, and see how baby's progressing?"

"I'll wait outside," Ella said. Aria had never felt comfortable enough to have her there for pelvic examinations in her previous doctor's visits.

Aria nodded. "Ezra can stay, can't he?" she asked the doctor.

"Of course. Ella, we'll call you back in when we're done."

Ella nodded, and left, and Aria clasped Ezra's hand tightly. Naturally, she never enjoyed this part at all.

"Did you get hold of the girls?" she asked Ezra, trying to distract herself from what was going on down there.

"Yep. I called Emily, and as luck would have it, she was with Hanna and Spencer, so I got to tell them all at once. There was a LOT of screaming."

"From you too?" Aria asked, grinning.

Ezra pointed at the doctor and mouthed "Big Fat Liar", and Aria smothered a snort of laughter. "It was all them, I swear. They said they were coming over immediately, so they'll probably be here any moment."

"That'll be...awesome," Aria replied, grimacing as the doctor withdrew his hand.

"Not pleasant, I know," the doctor said sympathetically, removing his gloves and throwing them in the trash bin. "So...this is what's happening. Everything's going smoothly, and your baby's heart rate is excellent. Your labor is progressing well, and fairly fast, so the contractions will be coming closer and closer together. There's still time for an epidural, if you want that –"

"Yes! Drugs!" Aria begged, and Ezra and the doctor shared an amused look.

"Okay, so I'll organise that now. And I'll be back periodically to check on your progress. In the meantime, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Nurse Susan."

"But – she'll be all right, won't she? I mean, it's five weeks early," Ezra asked, concerned.

Dr Clarke nodded. "She's fully developed and healthy. Some babies just turn up early. I like to think they just can't wait to get here," he added with a smile.

Ezra and Aria exchanged glances, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. The doctor caught the look.

"What is it? Anything I should know?"

"Well, it's just – could my early labor have been caused by...something we did?" Aria asked, uncertainly.

"Well, what were you doing when it started?" Dr Clarke asked. Then, as Aria blushed fiery red, and Ezra looked almost as bad, he chuckled. "Oh, I see. Well, sex has been known to help in bringing on labor, but there's also no reason to avoid it, as I'm sure your doctor told you. So don't worry about it. Early labor can come on for any number of reasons, and sometimes for no discernible reason at all. So don't go blaming yourselves, all right?"

Aria and Ezra nodded, and the doctor left the room, where he was waylaid by Ella in the corridor outside.

"We didn't tell him about the fight we had with my mom," Aria said uncertainly.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter," Ezra replied, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"But what if the stress was what caused it?"

"He'd have given us the same answer that he did about the sex. Sometimes these things just happen. And you heard him; Lily is healthy and everything is fully developed. So all I want you to concentrate on now is getting her here safely. Deal?"

"Deal," Aria smiled.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 One More Secret

"Didn't Dr Clarke say this would be _fast_?" Aria complained an hour later. She was still in labor, and although her contractions were coming closer together now, nothing much seemed to have happened. Hanna, Emily and Spencer had arrived in a whirlwind of excitement, already clutching pink balloons and teddy bears, and were now outside in the waiting area with Ella, while Susan was checking to see how far Aria was dilated. Now she chuckled at Aria's impatience.

"This_ is_ fast, love," she said. "Some women can be in labor for days, you know. But your baby should be here before midnight."

"Days...oh god, I think I'd die," Aria said weakly. "So how far am I dilated? Please tell me it's seven. Or eight. Nine would be fabulous..."

"Um. No can do, sorry, love. You're only at five centimetres."

"You're kidding me," Aria said, in disbelief.

"Oh, I've learned never to joke with a woman in labour," Susan replied cheerfully. "Sorry, Aria. You'll just have to let nature take its course."

"Hey, at least you got the epidural," Ezra said to Aria as Susan left the room. "It's helping, right?"

"I _think_ so. But I have no idea how bad this would be if I hadn't had it, so I can't really tell," Aria admitted.

"Well, since you haven't started screaming and yelling things like, "You did this to me, you bastard!", I'm going to assume that it's working," Ezra replied.

"Just you wait," Aria said darkly.

The door opened and Ella poked her head round. "Can the girls and I come back in? Susan said it's still going to be a while."

"Yeah, come on in. Witness the snoozefest that is the miracle of life," Aria joked cynically. The girls and Ella crowded in and stood around Aria's bed.

"I feel like I'm on display," she complained.

"You know what's weird?" Emily said suddenly. "I'm really going to miss your baby bump, Aria."

Hanna burst out laughing. "Seriously, Em? You're right, that IS weird."

"I know, but I can't help it," Emily replied defensively. "It's such a cute little bump, and Aria's been such a cute little pregnant person. And I mean, come on, remember that time we saw Lily's feet pushing against her inside there? How can you not miss that?"

"Um, because there's going to be an actual baby," Hanna said, shaking her head. "That's way cuter."

"Don't worry, Em. I get what you're saying," Aria said. "I'm kind of going to miss being pregnant, too. Well, except for the morning sickness and the ankles like tree trunks and needing to pee every minute and all that stuff. But it has been kind of awesome having her safe inside me. I was expecting to have her in there for a bit longer...but at the same time, we're so excited to meet her, that it doesn't matter." She looked up at Ezra, who was still sitting at her side, and he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Aw, you guys are so damn cute together!" Spencer exclaimed without thinking. Then, realising that Ella was in the room, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry."

"No need; obviously I'm the only one in the room who isn't thrilled about this," Ella said wearily. "I know you all find this whole situation terribly romantic, and oh so thrilling with its forbidden love, but real life isn't like that. What Aria and Mr Fitz did was wrong in every sense – legally, morally – and they're going to have to face it sooner or later."

_Awkward_, Hanna mouthed at Spencer and Emily.

"Mom, can we please not do this now?" Aria said, even more wearily. Another contraction was upon her, and although the epidural was helping mask the worst of the pain, it was still pretty uncomfortable.

Ella glanced around at the other girls, who were all looking supremely uncomfortable.

"You're right. Now's not the time. But there is one thing we need to discuss right now, which is when exactly I'm going to call your father."

Aria's eyes grew wide in alarm. "Not till Lily's here, please, Mom! I thought you said that was okay."

"I did, but how exactly are we supposed to explain to him why I didn't call him the second you went into labor?"

"Don't even mention it. Once Lily's here, call him and tell him I've gone into labor and we're at the hospital. It'll take ages for him to get here, so by the time he does, Lily will be here, Ezra will be gone, and he'll never have to know anything different. Please, Mom?" Aria begged.

"This is completely against my better judgment," Ella replied, "but all right."

"Thank you, Ella," Ezra said quietly.

"I'm doing this for my daughter, Mr Fitz," Ella said coldly. "Not for you."

"Um, maybe we should go, girls," Spencer said, hesitantly.

"No, no, you stay. I need to get some fresh air," Ella snapped, and left the room.

"Yikes," Hanna said.

"Sorry, guys," Aria said, tiredly.

"It's okay, Aria. God knows we knew she was going to freak out if she ever found out," Emily said reassuringly.

"Yeah...how did she find out, anyway?" Hanna demanded.

Aria looked at Ezra. "You didn't tell them?"

He shook his head. "Only that you'd gone into labor, and that Ella and I were both here with you because she'd found out about us," he grinned. "At that point, there was too much screaming to explain anything."

"And we couldn't exactly ask her ourselves," Hanna said. "Geez, imagine if we HAD..."

"Not a pretty thought," Ezra said.

"So, what did happen?" Spencer demanded.

"Erm...let's just say she got home early – a _day_ early – and found us in a rather compromising position," Aria said, sheepishly. The girls' jaws dropped open.

"She walked in on you two DOING IT?" Hanna shrieked.

Ezra blushed deep red, and even Aria had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Shut up, Hanna! I don't think they heard you in Canada," Spencer said, sternly. Then she turned back to the couple. "Seriously?"

"Well, sort of. We heard her coming and Ezra hid in the closet, but she suspected something was going on, and she found him," Aria explained.

"Well, I guess that's slightly better than her seeing you actually making the beast with two backs," Hanna said, cheerfully.

"Hanna!" The rebuke came from Aria, Spencer and Emily in unison. Ezra was too embarrassed to say anything.

"Sorry!"

"Can we talk about something else? Please?" Ezra begged.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mr Fitz. It's not like we didn't know you and Aria have had sex," Hanna pointed out.

"True. But I'm still your teacher, and I'd rather you didn't discuss my sex life right in front of me – or indeed, in front of anyone," Ezra said firmly. "Even though Aria is your best friend, I have to draw the line somewhere, and that is it."

Aria nodded at her friends. "He's right, guys. We should – oh! Ow ow ow ow!" She bit her lip and dug her nails into Ezra's hand. "Fuck, that hurts! Ow ow ow!"

"Try the breathing," Ezra urged. "In in out, in in out, in in out..."

Aria tried, but ended up breathing in twice and then just holding her breath and making little wails of pain as she bore through the contraction. As it finished, she exhaled, and fell back on her pillows, her face white and sweaty.

"One of you go and find Nurse Susan – or Dr Clarke, and tell them her contractions are getting worse," Ezra said, keeping his eyes on Aria, who looked so tiny and frail lying there on the white pillows. Like a child herself, he realised, suddenly stricken. She was just a child, after all: only sixteen years old. To him, she was a beautiful, intelligent, sensual woman, but the fact of the matter was, she was really young. He knew it, of course, but it had never struck home as hard as it did right then.

"Ezra? I'm okay," Aria said weakly, wondering why he was looking at her so oddly.

Ezra looked up. Emily had gone to fetch someone, and as he met their eyes, Hanna and Spencer slipped out the room, too, realising the couple needed to be alone.

"Oh god, Aria, I'm so sorry," Ezra whispered. It was all he could do, as his voice was dangerously close to cracking with tears.

Aria frowned, puzzled. "For what?"

"You shouldn't be in this position. You should not be giving birth to a child right now. You're too young for this, and I should have stopped it. We never should have –"

"Ezra. Shut up," Aria said calmly, but firmly. "We've been through this before. Yes, I'm young, yes, you're my teacher, and yes, we probably shouldn't have had sex, blah blah blah. Whatever. We're here now, I'm about to give birth to our baby girl, and I love you more than I could ever imagine, and I know you love me too, right?"

"With every tiny piece of me," Ezra replied. "But-"

"No 'buts'. This is the way it turned out, and we're going to deal with it and be happy," Aria stated. "No more apologies from either of us. Nobody ruined anybody's life, okay? We love each other and we actually want this baby, which is a lot more than many people can say, and we're going to carry on and deal with whatever life throws at us. Okay?"

"How'd you get so wise?" Ezra asked, looking wonderingly at her.

"I learned from the best," Aria grinned. "Oh god, here comes another one...fuckity fuck fuck fuck ow ow ow holy crap this hurts!"

As if on cue, Dr Clarke came in. "Your friends tell me your contractions are getting worse," he said.

"And closer together," Ezra added. The doctor had a look at the printout from the foetal monitor, and nodded. "Getting close, now, Aria. Let's have a look and see where you are."

"It had better be good," Aria said through clenched teeth, still working through the pain.

"Well, well," the doctor announced.

"What? Good or bad "well well"? Ezra demanded, and Aria looked up expectantly, her brow still furrowed.

"Definitely good. Eight centimetres – which means, yes, that you're about to have a baby," the doctor said, smiling.

"Oh, thank god!" Aria exclaimed.

"Don't get too excited. The hardest part's still coming," Dr Clarke said cheerfully. "I'm going to go and get ready, and tell Nurse Susan to prep the room. I'll be back in two minutes, okay?"

"Ezra...what if I can't push her out?" Aria said weakly.

"Of course you will, love. Millions of women have done it before you."

"But she's so big, and I'm, well, not," Aria explained.

"If the doctors didn't think you could do it, they'd have recommended a C-section," Ezra replied. "Remember, they check all that stuff. So don't worry. Dr Clarke knows what he's doing, and more importantly, your body knows what it's doing. And I'm here to help you through it. Okay?

"Okay," Aria replied.

"Now you just lie there and take it easy till the next contraction comes. You're going to need all your strength in a minute."

Aria saw the sense in his words, and closed her eyes. If only she could take a nap right now, and refresh herself before she had to continue. That would be...nice.

Aria felt herself drifting off, and then rudely jolted back to reality by another contraction.

"Great," she muttered.

The door opened and the doctor came in, followed by Hanna, Spencer and Emily. "Your friends want to say good luck," he explained. The three girls hugged Aria in turn, and Hanna solemnly shook Ezra's hand.

"Where's my Mom?" Aria asked.

"We don't know," Spencer said. "She must have gone outside, like she said, but we were all still just here in the waiting room when Dr Clarke told us it was time. We can go try and find her now, if you want?"

"Yes, please do," Aria asked. "And, girls? Thanks for everything."

The three friends exchanged smiles, knowing that Aria was thanking them for being there for her right from the beginning, and then left the room, as Nurse Susan entered.

"All right, it's time, Aria," the doctor stated. "The next contraction that comes, I want you to push through it, okay?"

"Uhuh," Aria nodded, sitting up and spreading her knees apart. She'd read in real-life birth stories that you ended up not caring just who was down there, seeing everything, but she'd never believed it. But now, she realised, she didn't give a hoot. Having her baby was more important than anything. She grabbed Ezra's hand as the next contraction began, and pushed hard, as she'd practised in classes with her mother.

"God, I'm glad you're here," she muttered.

"Me too, Aria. Me too," he replied, lovingly moving a strand of damp hair off her face.

"And push!" the doctor instructed again, and Aria bore down, gritting her teeth as she did so.

"Baby's crowning," Dr Clarke reported. "Dad, would you like to see it?"

"Erm – yes?" Ezra said, uncertainly. He got up to look. "Well, that's certainly, crowning..." he said, not sure what else you were supposed to say at the sight of, well, that.

"One more push and we should get the head out," the doctor informed them. "Okay...and, push!"

Aria cried out as she pushed, and Ezra went back to grab her hand again. This time her fingernails digging into his palm drew blood, but neither of them noticed for the moment.

"And breathe," the doctor said. "The next one's the biggest one, because the shoulders have to get out, but once they do, she should be out in a jiffy. You're doing beautifully, Aria."

Aria didn't respond, as another contraction overwhelmed her, and she pushed, wondering how it could possibly be hard enough to get a baby out of her.

"Another one," Dr Clarke instructed, and she mustered up what strength she had left, and pushed again. She felt an odd, almost slithery sensation down there, and then, suddenly, there was a cry.

"And she's out!" the doctor announced, and Ezra, still holding Aria's hand, took a step over to see. His eyes filled with tears. The doctor was holding a tiny, wet, pink baby, tinier than he could ever have imagined, whose face was screwed up, crying, as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"Oh my god," he breathed. Tears of joy and just plain being overwhelmed rolled down his cheeks, and he didn't even notice.

"What? Is she okay? Let me see her," Aria begged.

"Just letting Dad cut the cord – here you go, Ezra," the doctor said, as the nurse handed over the scissors. The doctor clamped the cord where he needed to cut, and Ezra did so, finding it strangely spongey and rather incomprehensible. Dr Clarke lifted the baby girl into the blanket Nurse Susan held out for him, wrapped it around her, and then held her out to Ezra.

"Congratulations. You've got a healthy baby girl," he said, beaming.

Ezra took her gingerly. He'd held a baby or two in his lifetime, but never one this new, and never one that elicited such a surge of emotion from him. He stared at her for a moment, open-mouthed, before moving over and placing her in Aria's outstretched arms.

"Holy crap," Aria said softly, using Ezra's usual catchphrase of disbelief. "She's...she's _perfect_. Ezra, she's perfect!"

"I know," he said, crouching down by the bed so he could be as near them as possible. "How did we even-"

"I don't know," Aria replied, and promptly dissolved into tears.

"I'm so tired, and she's so perfect, and I'm so happy," she explained, looking up at Ezra through her tears.

"I know. And you were so wonderful. I don't know if I would ever be able to go through what you just did. You're amazing, Aria. I love you."

"I love you too, Ezra," Aria said, her breath still catching on her sobs. "I'm so glad you were here. I can't imagine this having happened without you."

"This is the best day of my life," Ezra stated, staring at their tiny baby, whose eyes had closed as soon as she was put in her mother's arms. "Everyone says that, but it's true. I can't imagine anything better than this."

"You two are adorable," Nurse Susan remarked. "I can see a mile away how much in love you are. You're going to be great parents."

"Oh – thanks," Ezra said. Truth be told, they had forgotten anyone else was in the room.

"So," said Aria, "still Lily Shae?"

Ezra looked at his tiny sleeping daughter. "Still Lily Shae," he nodded. "Oh god, Aria, I'm so proud of you."

Aria smiled, and nuzzled her nose into Lily's fluffy dark hair – she had a surprising amount of hair for a newborn.

"I want to stay like this forever," she murmured. Then, at Ezra's quizzical look, "Well, not _exactly_ like this. I could do without my legs open for all the world to see, and, you know, less blood and gunk and pain. But this – just you, me and our daughter...yeah, I could get used to that."

"That's all I want too," Ezra confessed. "How about we stay here like this for a while, and pretend like it's going to be forever, okay?"

"Yeah," Aria said, peacefully. "Forever. Just you, me, and our perfect baby girl."


	36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36 One More Secret

"Sorry to interrupt," Nurse Susan poked her head in through the door a little while later, "but there's some people outside here who are very anxious to come in. Can I let them?"

"Of course!" Aria said, eager to introduce Lily Shae to her friends and Ella. For the past – however long it had been, she had no idea – she and Ezra had just been sitting and staring in awe at the tiny creature now snuggled up against her chest, as Susan had instructed, and wondering how on earth they had managed to create such a tiny, perfect human being. They hadn't even thought about Ella and the girls, who must be outside dying to see the new addition.

Ella came in first, followed by Aria's friends, who hung back as Ella, after a moment's hesitation, rushed forward and knelt down at Aria's side, to take in the face of her new granddaughter.

"Aria...she's beautiful," she breathed. "She's perfect!"

"She is, right? It's not just us?" Aria replied, grinning.

"No. Honestly, she's the prettiest baby I've ever seen," Ella said, completely lost in grandmotherly adoration. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course! She's all wrapped up; though be careful, I'm a little bit al fresco over here. Not that it's anything all of you haven't seen before," Aria said happily, not entirely caring who saw her boobs at this point. Ella took Lily carefully and stood back up with her. Hanna, Emily and Spencer came crowding round to see. Lily had a head of dark hair, just like both her parents, and her dark blue eyes were open, staring calmly at all the new faces around her.

"Holy crap, she looks just like you, Mr Fitz!" Hanna exclaimed.

Ezra looked startled, and then grinned. "And here I was hoping she'd get her looks from her mother."

"Hanna's right; she does look like you," Ella said, in a slightly accusatory tone.

"It's not that obvious, though, is it? I mean, people who don't know about Ezra and me aren't going to notice it, are they?" Aria asked, suddenly worried.

"I'm sure they won't," Emily said soothingly. "People don't notice stuff like that unless they're looking out for it." She took the baby gently from Ella, and leaned in close.

"I'm your Aunt Emily," she said softly. "And I'm going to teach you how to swim the second your mama lets me."

"Oh god, if she's anything like me she'll probably sink like a stone," said Aria, who did NOT like swimming – or any sports, come to that.

"Here, let me hold her, Em," Hanna said, not waiting for a response, but just leaning in and taking the baby anyway.

"Careful there, guys," Ezra said.

"Aww. Who's got an overprotective Daddy, then? Is it you? Is it?" Hanna cooed to Lily in baby talk.

"Speaking of which, I called your father about forty minutes ago, and told him you were in labor," Ella said to Aria suddenly.

"Oh, great," Aria replied. "So how long till he gets here and ruins this happy moment?"

"Aria!" Ella said sharply, and Aria dropped her lashes and fiddled with the edge of the sheet covering her.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just – not ready for Ezra to leave yet," she explained in a small voice. Ezra squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"It's okay, Aria. We've had a lot more today than we ever thought we would. The fact that I was here to see our daughter come into the world is something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. I can leave when I have to."

"And you will, because – as I keep having to remind you both – this is _not_ a game of happy families," Ella replied coldly. "I don't know how THIS", she waved her hands at Ezra and Aria, "is going to work, and I need some time to think about it. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for the fact that I refuse to put my daughter through that, you'd be behind bars, Mr Fitz."

"Mom, please-" Aria began.

"Not now, Aria. Like I said, I need more time to process this. As for your father, he'll only be here by tomorrow morning. It's nearly midnight now, and he doesn't have the car – and anyway, by the time he got here, I doubt anyone would allow him to see you so late. So he'll be leaving at sunrise, as planned, and be here about two hour later."

"I didn't even realise it was so late," Aria said, surprised. "Wait, what's the date today?"

"It's June tenth," Spencer replied immediately. She was holding Lily, but now came over and handed her back to Aria. "There you go, sweet girl. Back to Mommy!"

"June tenth...well, I guess that's our daughter's birthday!" Aria said, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "We all thought you'd be a July baby, didn't we, Lily?"

"Omigosh! Can you tell us what her middle name is now?" Hanna demanded. After teasing her friends that she had an idea for the name, Aria had decided not to tell them until Lily was born, and despite all the pestering they'd given her, the actual birth had driven it right out of their minds.

Aria smiled now. "I think you're going to like it. I wanted it to be a special name, in honour of the four of us...and how you were there for me when I first found out I was pregnant."

"So?" Spencer asked, confused.

"Her middle name is made up of initials. Spencer...Hanna...Aria...Emily." Aria pointed at each girl in turn.

"S, H, A...E – Shae? Aria, that's beautiful!" Emily gasped, rushing forward to hug her friend – as best she could, with Aria in bed with a newborn on her chest. The other two did the same.

"Oh my god, now you've made me cry," said Spencer, who seldom did, accusingly.

"I think that means she likes it," Aria explained to Ezra.

"She loves it. We all do," Hanna retorted. "I've never really cared about babies, so I don't know, but I reckon Lily Shae is the best baby ever, right?"

"No arguments here," Aria replied. She stifled a yawn.

"Oh – you're tired. We should go," Spencer said.

"You know, I didn't even think about it, but I am a little," Aria admitted. "But actually, you know what? I'm starving!"

"Not surprising, since you didn't have dinner," Ella remarked. Aria was about to add, _Or lunch_, when she realised she'd been in bed with Ezra at the time, and shut her mouth quickly. No need to remind Ella of THAT fact.

"I'll go see if someone can rustle you up something," Ella continued, "while the girls say goodbye. Goodbye, girls."

"Bye, Mrs Montgomery," they chorused, if a little uncomfortably. They'd seen too many awkward scenes that day to be entirely comfortable.

Ella left the room, and after stopping at the Nurse's station and being assured that someone would take some food in to Aria soon, she made her way out of maternity, through the lobby, and outside the hospital. She leaned up against a wall in the darkness, breathing deeply, and taking in the fresh, cold night air. This was where she'd come earlier, too, when she couldn't stand being in that room anymore with Aria and...HIM, and watching them be so stupidly happy, like nothing was wrong about their sick relationship. How on earth was she supposed to deal with this? She was the last person in the world who would want to deny a baby its father, but when the father was a man who had abused his power and position, and had sex – _statutory rape_, she reminded herself – with a sixteen-year-old student, how could she possibly let him near her grandchild? How could she even let him near her daughter again? Or, come to that, the hundreds of students he taught at school every day, many younger than Aria. He couldn't be allowed to go on teaching, could he? And yet, if she did the right thing and reported him to the police, Aria would be caught up in a scandal she might never recover from. She didn't want her daughter to be known forever as the girl who had her teacher's baby. But how could she punish Ezra Fitz for what he'd done, without hurting Aria in the process?

Ella sighed and gave up. It was too late, and she was too tired, to think about this anymore tonight. She'd go back up to Aria, make sure HE left, and go home and get a good night's sleep before she had to face Byron and pretend everything was fine. Of one thing she was still sure: Byron wouldn't be finding out the paternity of his new granddaughter anytime soon. If ever.

Ella made her way back up to Aria's room. When she got there, the door was propped partially open, and she could see Ezra holding a plate of food and feeding forkfuls of it to Aria, while her hands were occupied in holding the baby against her chest. They were speaking in soft voices, smiling all the while. She watched as Ezra leaned forward and tucked a strand of Aria's hair behind her ear before he gave her the next forkful, and she giggled at something before she opened her mouth and took it. As she chewed, Ezra leaned forward again, this time to Lily, who was sleeping peacefully on Aria's chest, and stroked her hair gently with his index finger. It was such an intimate moment between the three of them, that Ella found herself holding her breath. Could this man really love her daughter? He appeared to. But if he loved her, how could he have done what he did to her? And how could he have let himself get involved enough to fall in love with her to begin with? At the very least, he'd been reckless and selfish, not to mention immoral and unlawful. She pushed the door open.

"Hey, Mom," Aria said. "The food arrived, and it's actually not bad!"

"You're just too starved to care," Ezra chuckled.

"You should have some. You must be just as hungry as I was," Aria protested.

"Yeah...all the same, I'm gonna say no to the hospital food," Ezra replied, grimacing. "I'll pick up something on the way home."

"Anyway, you need your strength, Aria," Ella said firmly, failing to hide the disapproval in her voice – although what she disapproved of, specifically in this instance, she wasn't sure of. She just didn't like seeing Aria so...involved with Ezra, like they were a real couple: sharing in-jokes, eating each other's food...honestly, it would be easier to deal with this if Aria HAD been knocked up by some random guy. It was the obvious closeness and intimacy that Aria and Ezra shared that upset her. Aria should hate him for what he'd put her through, not allow him to feed her, and smile up at him in that loving fashion, and talk to him like they were a real family.

Aria looked at her mother consideringly for a few seconds, and then went back to eating as Ezra waved another bite of food at her. Ella sat down in a chair on the other side of the bed, and looked at Lily, sound asleep, instead of at her daughter and Ezra. Lily really DID look like Ezra. She had his chin, and his mouth, and the shape of his forehead...Ella knew that newborn babies often did look like their fathers (Mike in particular had looked just like Byron), but seeing Ezra Fitz in her granddaughter's face was something of a shock, nonetheless. Ugh. She was never going to be rid of him, was she?

Ella watched and waited until Aria had finished eating, and Ezra had got up to put the plate down on the tray at the foot of her bed. Then she said, "I think it's time for you to leave, Mr Fitz."

Ezra looked at her, and then nodded. He turned back to Aria. "She's right, I should go."

Aria nodded, knowing her mother had given her more time with Ezra today than she had been willing to. "I'll let you know when you can come back," she murmured, as Ezra bent down to her. "I love you."

"I love you. Thank you for giving me a daughter," he whispered back, hoping Ella couldn't hear what they were saying. "I'm going to fight for you, Aria."

"Me too," Aria whispered back against his lips, and then, as Ella cleared her throat loudly, Ezra stood up again. He placed his hand on Lily's cheek.

"Bye, baby girl," he said softly, and then walked over to the door.

"Ella – thank you again for today," he said, awkwardly. "I meant what I said earlier; seeing Lily born was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Ella nodded, coldly. "Wait outside for me, Mr Fitz. I need to say some things to you."

Ezra nodded and left, and Ella went and took his place on the chair by Aria's bed. She automatically reached out and touched Lily's little hand, which was sticking out from under the sheet, and Lily curled her fingers around Ella's index finger.

"That's so beautiful," Aria said, gazing down at her baby's fingers holding her mother's much larger one.

"I can't believe she's yours," Ella said.

" Me neither," Aria admitted. "I'm going to need a few weeks, at least, to get my head around that. Mom-"

"Yes?" Ella replied wearily.

"Don't be too hard on him, please? Remember he's just as overwhelmed as I am right now."

Ella sighed. "And when he's less overwhelmed, what then? Can I be hard on him then?"

"Mom. I don't know what else I can say, except that I love him, and we both love Lily more than anything, and – and we just want this all to work out!"

"Calm down, hon," Ella said, for tears had sprung to Aria's eyes almost as she began speaking. "Look, this is a complicated situation, and it's ridiculously late right now. No good will come of us discussing this tonight. So I'm going to go home and get some sleep, and you're going to do the same here, and tomorrow I'll bring your father by to see you, and we'll pretend everything that happened today never happened. You'll be home in two or so days, anyway, and we can discuss it properly then. Okay?"

"Okay," Aria said, sleepily. Ella was right, it was too late to talk about something so important.

Ella leaned down and kissed her. "I'm going to send the nurse back in to get you and Lily ready for bed. Sleep well, Aria."

"Night, mom. Thanks for...you know."

"I know," Ella smiled, and left.

As she closed the door behind her, Ezra was waiting for her in the doorway opposite.

"Come on," was all she said, and he followed her as she led the way out of the ward and into the lifts. As the door closed he turned to her, his eyebrows raised expectantly. But Ella merely stared at him, almost appraisingly. It was uncomfortable, but nonetheless he raised his blue eyes to meet her brown ones, and held her gaze.

The lift opened on the ground floor without either of them having said a word, and Ezra, unable to bear it any longer, blurted out, "What did you want to say to me?"

Ella stepped out of the lift and let him follow, and then turned back to him. "Do you really love her?" she asked.

"More than I would ever have thought possible," Ezra answered quietly. "And then I held Lily, and I realised I've never loved anything, anyone, that much, in that way, either. I know I would take a bullet for Aria, no question, but I never thought I could say the same for someone only a few hours old. And yet I can. I love them both so much I would die for either of them, Ella."

"And if you had to leave them, if it was best for them, would you?"

Ella looked at her. "IF it was best for them, then I would. But you'd have a hard time convincing me of a scenario where they would be better off without me."

"Really? The fact that her teacher is the father of her baby, and if it gets out it will ruin her life, isn't a good enough scenario for you?" Ella snapped.

Ezra shook his head calmly. "Whether I'm here with Aria or not wouldn't change that truth, if it got out. So yes, we'll still need to hide it. But hiding it is better than Aria and Lily being without me. I know Aria feels the same. Remember, Ella, it's just for another year. Once Aria graduates high school we can move away and be together, with Lily."

"What makes you so sure about that?" Ella raised her eyebrows.

Ezra frowned. "Because I love Aria and I want to be with her forever."

"It's not as simple as that," Ella replied as they exited the hospital.

"It can be," Ezra said.

Ella stared at him for a few moments, and then shook her head. "Come on. I'll drive you back to my house."

"Why?" Ezra said, puzzled.

"Because you left your car there," Ella replied, simply.

"Oh, right," Ezra said. And while not another word was said on the drive home, he couldn't help but feel slightly hopeful. Maybe things would work out after all.


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi everyone! I figured I should do an Author's Note just to thank everyone for the great reviews, and for keeping on reading this story, even though it always takes me so damn long to update! I love writing it, but I struggle to write if I'm not in the right mood, so I always just wait until I'm in that mood, and only write then.**

**I'm kind of sad that Ezria are out in the open on the show now, so thank goodness for fanfic, or I'd never get my fix of the secret relationship I love so much!**

**Because I've written this story over the period of two years (yikes, I suck!), I've noticed a few inconsistencies popping up. I'm going to go back and try and fix them all when I get a chance. The biggest one is that for some reason I thought Aria was a sophomore when the show started, but now that the show has said it clearly, it does make sense that they were juniors, rather. (Even though the time in the show is really messed up!). So in the early chapters of this story I've said that Aria still had two years of school left after the baby is born, but actually she only has one, with Lily being born in the June of her Junior/11th grade year.**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

CHAPTER 37

It was Monday morning, and Ezra was sitting restlessly at his desk, waiting for his first class of the day. He'd barely slept on Saturday night after he'd got home from the hospital, and Sunday had felt like the longest day of his life, resulting in yet another sleepless night. Since Byron had been due to arrive at the hospital to meet his new granddaughter on the Sunday morning, Ezra had had to stay away, and when Aria managed to call him, it was to inform him that she expected a steady stream of visitors that day, and that as a result Ella had pretty much forbidden his presence at the hospital that day. Apparently aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends, most of whom Aria hadn't seen for years (and didn't want to), were expected to drop by at any given moment, and it just wouldn't be safe for Ezra to be anywhere around. But while he completely understood, not being able to see his firstborn for the entire day was almost unbearable. Already he was completely overwhelmed at the love he felt for the tiny baby, and he wanted to be there with her every minute. Obviously he'd always known he wouldn't be able to, but he hadn't realised just what agony that would be. All he could think of was her tiny face, and her blue eyes staring up at him as he held her for the first time. He missed Aria, too. They'd gone through something life-changing on Saturday night together, and that had altered their relationship and taken it to an entirely different plane. She wasn't just his girlfriend now; she was his family. She and Lily were his family, and he wanted to be with them every moment.

Ezra stifled a yawn as his students started filing in, talking and laughing as usual. No life-altering events for _them_ over the weekend, of course. This was the class Aria would normally be in, and he remembered, as he spotted Hanna, Emily and Spencer taking their seats, that he wasn't supposed to know anything about Aria having had the baby over the weekend. Time to keep up pretences, then, for the safety of their secret.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a good weekend, and that you remembered to read the chapters I set you from The Great Gatsby," he said, smiling blandly, knowing that, of course, a good half of them had not. Which was unlucky for them, because all the preparation he had been able to muster the previous day was setting pop quizzes for today's classes. The class groaned loudly when he informed them of this fact.

"Come on, Mr Fitz, it's Monday," Noel Kahn complained. "Have a heart. We had a huge football game on Saturday."

"Which should have left you plenty of time to read those five chapters on Sunday," Ezra replied evenly. He didn't like Noel Kahn. He was one of the students who constantly goaded Aria about her pregnancy, long after it was old news with everyone else, and Ezra hated the way he looked at her like she was a slut, but with a gleam in his eye like he was hitting on her anyway.

Noel subsided into muttered grumbles, and Ezra picked up the papers from his desk, only then pretending to notice that Aria wasn't in her usual seat.

"Is Aria absent today?" he asked of the room in general, but making eye contact with Spencer, who sat in front of Aria's empty desk.

"Oh – yes," Spencer replied, playing along. "Actually, she had her baby on Saturday."

The class erupted into surprised gasps and about twenty different conversations at once. Ezra shushed them, and then turned his attention back to Spencer.

"Really? I thought she was only due in the summer vacation?" he said, trying to seem interested but noncommittal at the same time.

"She was, but the baby came early," Spencer answered.

"It's a girl, right? What has she called her?" Natalie Harris called from the other side of the room.

"Lily; and yes, we've seen her, and she's adorable," Hanna interrupted.

"Can you see who the father is?" Noel Kahn demanded.

"Shut up, Noel," Spencer and Hanna responded automatically, and Ezra hid a smirk.

"All right, that's enough of that," he said. "Exciting as a baby is, it doesn't take precedence over this quiz, I'm afraid. Everyone, books away, pens out and nothing else, please."

Feeling rather proud of his little "I'm only her teacher so I don't care" act, he handed out the quiz papers, and then settled down at his desk, watching his students as they settled down unwillingly and began to write.

When the period was over, and the students handed him their papers as the left the room, Spencer lingered behind.

"I've got the rest of the poetry club subscriptions, Mr Fitz," she said loudly, holding out an envelope. Then, as the last girl left the room, she lowered her voice and said, "you should probably only open that when it's safe. And call Aria; her mom has to work this afternoon, so you should be able to get in and see them after school, no problem."

"Thanks, Spencer," Ezra said sincerely, and Spencer knew he meant not only for the information, and for whatever was in the envelope, but for being on his and Aria's side. She smiled and left, and Ezra, who had a free period next, quickly crossed the room and closed the door behind him, and then eagerly picked up the envelope, wondering what on earth it could be. He ripped open the top, and carefully drew out the contents, which was three photographs.

Ezra's mouth drew into a huge grin as he realized what they were. On Saturday night, while Ella was out of the room organizing Aria's meal, Spencer had pulled out her camera and taken a few shots of Ezra, Aria and Lily together, and he had then returned the favour by taking some of all the girls together. He'd forgotten about it until now, but Spencer must have had them developed yesterday, and here they were. The first one was a simple portrait of Ezra snuggled up close to Aria, who was holding baby Lily up to their face height. The second was a beautiful shot of Aria gazing down at Lily in her arms, and the third, which Ezra didn't remember Spencer having taken, was of him holding Lily up to his eye level, his large hands spread behind her head to support her, and looking at her with an expression of joy and disbelief on his face. It was so exactly how he had been feeling that night, and Spencer had captured it so perfectly, that it took his breath away. He couldn't stop staring at it.

Not taking his eyes off it, he pulled out his phone and called Aria. She answered on the second ring.

"Good morning, daddy," she said, teasingly.

Ezra grinned. "Hey, beautiful. Can you talk?"

"Yeah. Lily's napping, and I'm just sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I'm so glad you called."

"How is she?"

"Amazing. Well, tiring, but amazing," Aria amended, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. "She learned how to latch on for feeding almost immediately, and she doesn't cry a lot. Well, I mean, I don't know what a lot is, but according to the nurses she's being really good. She wakes up all the time, but that's normal, so I've just got to get used to it."

"I can't wait for school to be over so I can come see you," Ezra replied. "I _can_ come after school, right? Spencer said it should be okay."

"Yeah. My parents both have to work, and honestly, I feel like I saw everyone yesterday that I've ever met in my life. I'm looking forward to just spending some time with you and Lily this afternoon, quietly."

"Are you doing all right?" Ezra asked, concerned. "It wasn't too much for you yesterday, was it?"

"A little," Aria confessed. "But it's just because I'm so tired."

"Well, you should get some sleep, then," Ezra said, firmly. "You're supposed to sleep when the baby's sleeping, you know."

"I know! But it's so hard, with everyone walking in and out of here all the time. I'm in a new room, by the way," she added. "It's in the maternity section, not delivery. It's 26B, which is an awesome coincidence."

"B26...that is pretty great," Ezra said, smiling, remembering the song that had been playing on the jukebox on the day they'd met.

"Ezra? I'm really glad I met you that day."

"Me too. And I'm even gladder that you're the mother of my child. Now, let me go, so that you can get some sleep, and I'll be there ten minutes after school is over."

"Okay," Aria said, sleepily. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ezra said. He ended the call, and looked at the photos, which he was still holding in his hand, one last time before he opened his satchel and carefully slid the envelope in right at the back. He hadn't remembered to ask Aria if she'd seen them, but if she hadn't then he could show them to her before he took them home and put them somewhere safe.

**************xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*************************xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The second his last period was over, Ezra was out of his classroom, much to the surprise of the ninth graders he'd been teaching. One even yelled after him, "Where's the fire, Mr Fitz?" but he didn't even hear, as he walked swiftly – as swiftly as he could without actually running – down the corridor and out to his car. Less than ten minutes later he was at the hospital, making his way up to the maternity ward.

"Can I help you?" A rather severe-looking nurse at the front desk, asked.

"Oh – I'm here to see Aria Montgomery, room B26...I mean, 26B," he faltered.

"Sign in here, please," the nurse said, pushing a register over to him. Ezra pulled it towards him slowly. Clearly they had some security measures in place, which was fine by him, except that he couldn't exactly sign his real name, in case someone saw it who shouldn't. But if he put a fake name, and it was noticed, he'd look even more suspicious. He glanced over the list of previous visitors, noting that Ella and Byron had both come by that morning, probably before they went to work. And if he could see their names, they - that is, Byron - would be able to spot his. And Ezra had no idea of letting that happen.

"Something wrong?" the nurse said impatiently.

"Oh, no – just looking to see if she has any visitors at the moment, that's all," Ezra replied, quickly. Picking up the pen attached to the book, he quickly filled in the first name that came to his mind, John Hardy; John being the most common of all male names, and Hardy being the name of his best friend from college. Luckily they didn't ask for driver's license or any form of identification, and he hoped that the book was more of a formality than anything else, and that the nurse wouldn't even look at it.

It appeared he was right, as the nurse merely pulled the book back over to her side of the desk, and said, "Down there, turn left at the end, and it's just round the corner."

Ezra nodded, and walked quickly the way she had directed him, finding the room easily enough. He pushed the door open gently, not wanting to wake Lily if she was sleeping, and saw that Aria was sleeping too, her dark hair fanned out all over the white pillow, and dark circles of tiredness under her eyes. Pulled right up to her bedside was a clear, hospital-issue basinet, on which her left hand was resting as she slept, and inside which the tiny, dark-haired baby was wrapped up in a white blanket. Ezra tiptoed carefully over to the basinet, and a huge smile broke over his face as he saw that Lily was awake, her dark blue eyes staring up at him calmly. He glanced over at Aria, still sleeping, and reached in and carefully picked up his daughter from the basinet. She didn't make a sound as he settled her gently in his arms, and then, as he touched her face softly with his index finger, one of her hands emerged from the cocoon of blanket, and took hold of his finger with all of hers. Ezra couldn't help but gasp, and Aria's eyes shot open, immediately going to the empty basinet beside her, before focusing on Ezra and relaxing.

"Hey, you," she said, smiling sleepily. "When did you get here?"

"Literally a minute ago," Ezra replied. "I'm sorry I woke you – I was trying not to."

"Yeah yeah, you don't care about me now; you just came to see the baby," Aria teased.

"No – it's not that – it's just that you looked so tired," Ezra tried to explain.

"Ezra. I'm kidding," Aria grinned, sitting up. "Now come sit here by me."

Ezra sat down carefully on the bed, still holding Lily, and kissed Aria gently on the lips. "I swear she's bigger than she was on Saturday," he said, staring down at the tiny baby, who was still clutching onto his finger, but now with her eyes closed.

Aria considered. "I can't tell, I've seen her every half hour at least since she was born," she said.

"I wish I could say the same," Ezra replied, sadly.

"Oh god, I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry, Ezra," Aria apologized. "That was really insensitive of me."

"Don't be silly; you're her mother. One of us has to be there for her whenever she needs it, and it was always going to be you. Don't think I'm envious of that, because I'm not. Although," he confided, "I am a little jealous of your parents."

"I know. They'll get to spend all the time they want with her. But I promise I'll bring her around as often as I can," Aria said. "I've told them all along that having a baby doesn't mean I'm going to stay in the house for the whole of my senior year. If I want to go see my friends, I'll go – and Lily will just come too. That goes for seeing you, too – under the guise of seeing my friends, of course."

"As far as your father goes. But what about your mother? Has she said anything to you – about us, I mean?"

Aria screwed up her face. "Not really. But we were only alone once or twice yesterday, and when I tried to mention it, she just changed the subject. What happened on the way home on Saturday? Did she really give you a lift?"

"Uhuh. And she asked me all sorts of things about my intentions towards you, and if I really was in love with you, and so on."

"And what did you say?"

"The truth," he replied simply. "That as far as we're both concerned, we'll do anything to be together, and that we love each other and Lily more than anything in the world."

"And she didn't try the "they'll be better off without you" bit?" Aria demanded.

"Oh, she did. I simply told her that I couldn't imagine a scenario where any of us would be better off without the others. That includes Lily, of course."

"Ezra, you're so amazing," Aria said, tearfully. "Not many people would have the courage to stand up to my mom like that."

"I won't pretend she doesn't terrify me," Ezra admitted, "but I promised you I'd fight for you, and that's what I'm doing. Your father, on the other hand..."

"Oh god, I don't even want to think about that," Aria said, quickly. "We'll just have to make sure he never finds out."

"So you don't think your mother will tell him?"

"I don't think she will, actually. I think she sees that it would just make things worse."

"But will she let us be a family...that's the bigger question," Ezra said slowly.

"I don't know. I'm hoping, in time, she might come around. Once I'm home I'll be able to get her alone and try and explain everything, again. Until she gets it."

"And even then, it's only a year till you're out of school. I can wait till then, if we have to."

"I don't want you to," Aria replied shortly. "I want you to be part of Lily's first year as much as possible. By the time I go to college, or whatever it is I end up doing next year, she'll be walking...she'll practically be a little girl, not a baby! I don't want you to miss out on her babyhood."

"Neither do I, but – you know what? Let's stop talking about this," Ezra declared. "We can't do anything about it now, except worry. We've got a perfect baby girl here, we're alone together right now, so let's just be happy. All right?"

"Okay," Aria nodded. "Ezra – she _is_ perfect, isn't she? I mean...this could have gone so wrong, and yet here we are, with the most beautiful baby in the world. How did we get so lucky?"

"I guess because we love each other so much," Ezra replied. "Look at that; she's still holding onto my finger. I don't ever want her to let go, either."

"Well, we've got a few hours till my Mom shows up," Aria replied, contentedly. "So let her hold on to her Daddy till then."


	38. Chapter 38

**Here you go! Sorry it took so long, but it's a little longer than usual, so I hope that makes up for it! Also, if you haven't, go and read my one-shot "Later That Night" which I wrote after the last episode. It's a little extra Ezria scene that totally should have happened in the show, IMO.**

**And thanks again SO much to all the fantastic reviews I get for this story every time I update! It's so great that you guys are enjoying it...and I've nearly hit 100 000 words! In the words of Ezra Fitz, "Hooooly crap."**

* * *

On Tuesday morning Aria and Lily were allowed to go home. The doctors were satisfied with Lily's weight gain, and despite her early arrival she was perfectly healthy and happy, so Ella picked them up in her car, complete with a new baby carseat, which she'd quickly had fitted that morning (the first opportunity she'd had to get it done since Lily's birth).

"I guess that'll teach us to leave things till the last minute," Ella said as she helped Aria to strap Lily in securely.

"And we didn't even finish the nursery," Aria sighed. "Oh, well. We _thought_ we had five weeks!"

"Lesson one of being a parent: they're full of surprises," Ella remarked, wryly. "At least we've got the crib and bedding. And I went to the store on Sunday and got you some basic supplies: diapers, babywipes, and so on."

"Which we left because I was hoping to get some of that stuff at the baby shower!" Aria replied. "Maybe having it four weeks out was a bit too late. Have you cancelled with everyone?"

"Not yet; I wanted to check with you first, though I don't think you'll be up to a party in four day's time, to be honest," Ella said. "Aren't you getting in?"

"Oh – no; I want to sit in the backseat with Lily," Aria said, closing the passenger door Ella had opened for her, and getting in the back instead. "Just to make sure she's safe, and the seat's in properly, you know."

"I know," Ella smiled, remembering how she'd felt exactly the same when Aria was born. She waited until Aria had her seatbelt on, and then drew gently out of the parking space. She looked in the rearview mirror at Aria, who was bent concernedly over her baby, who in turn was fast asleep.

"Relax, honey," she said. "Lily will probably sleep the whole way home. Babies love being in cars."

"Yeah...I remember you used to drive Mike around a lot, when he wouldn't sleep," Aria mused.

"You remember that?" Ella asked, surprised. Aria was only two and a half years older than Mike.

"Yeah, it happened so often that I guess it ingrained itself in my memory," Aria replied. "What about me? Did you do that with me, too?"

"No, not really. You were a pretty good baby. I think you liked your sleep as much as I did!" Ella said, laughing. "I was always so thankful when you went off to sleep straight away, because it meant I could, too."

"Yeah; hopefully Lily's the same. Senior year's going to be kind of crazy, and adding a baby to the mix means double crazy, so if she's a good sleeper then that'll be such a huge help."

"Even a good sleeper isn't _always_ good," Ella warned.

"Oh, I know. Still, it's a start," Aria replied.

"And of course, your father and I will help all we can," Ella said, glancing back at Aria.

"I know, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it," Aria said sincerely. "But I do want to do as much as I can without relying on you guys – you've got your own jobs and things to do, and she is my baby."

Her phone beeped loudly at that moment, and Aria quickly silenced it, with a concerned glance at Lily, before opening the text. She chuckled, and then swiftly typed a reply.

"Good news?" Ella asked, mainly because she wanted to know if the message was from the one person she didn't want it to be from.

"Ummm... just Ezra, checking to see if we're on our way home yet," Aria said, cautiously. Obviously her mother knew that she was in constant contact with Ezra, but that didn't make it any easier for her to mention his name.

"Uhuh. Did he come visit you yesterday?" Ella asked, evenly.

"Yeah, after school." Aria replied, not sure what else to stay. At least Ella wasn't screaming that she could never see Ezra again. That was something.

After a few moments of silence, Ella spoke up. "Look, I know you want to know if I've made a decision about Ezra yet. The truth is, I don't know how to make that decision. I've thought of little else for the past three days, and every choice still seems wrong."

"Okaaay. So, where does that leave us, then?"Aria asked, confused.

"It leaves us taking this one day at a time, I suppose," Ella replied. "Much as I want to do the whole "get out of my daughter's life!" speech to him, the fact remains that your baby is his baby, too. And for her sake, I want to try to understand what this...this thing you have is."

"Mom, that would –" Aria began, but Ella cut her off.

"Wait, Aria. I said I'd try to understand, but honestly, I don't know if I'll ever accept it. I'll certainly never _condone_ it. But...I'm willing to try to understand, by letting Ezra into our lives a little."

"Mom! Does that mean – you'll let Ezra see Lily?" Aria gasped joyfully, throwing her arms round Ella's neck from behind. Fortunately they had just pulled into their driveway. "Thank you so much! I don't know what to say!"

"For now," Ella warned. "Just a little. Not all the time, by any stretch of the imagination. And your father isn't to know."

"I won't tell if you don't," Aria assured her, undoing her seatbelt and getting out of the car. "If you're sure, that is...I mean, we'll have to tell him next year, anyway. That was the plan all along, to tell you both after I graduated – until you found out, that is."

"Yes, well, we'll worry about that in the future," Ella said, dismissively. Truthfully, she was hoping that Aria and Ezra's "infatuation" (as she saw it) wouldn't last through the stress of having a baby, and Aria still being at school, and that by the time Aria went to college, Ezra would be out of her life and there would be no need to tell Byron anything. But in the meantime, her goal in allowing Ezra to see Lily was twofold: one, to keep Aria happy, and therefore keep Lily happy; and two, to allow her to see firsthand how their relationship was doing – or regressing, as she'd hoped. She was smart enough to know that if she forbade the relationship, Aria would just find ways to see Ezra anyway, and that the "forbidden love" aspect of it would just drive them closer together. By allowing everything to be out in the open, she felt confident that Ezra and Aria would soon realise that they had nothing on which to build a relationship in the real world.

"Mom?"

"Hmm? Sorry, what?" Ella said.

"Does this mean Ezra can come over this afternoon?" Aria asked.

Well, it had to start sometime. "I suppose so, as long as he's gone before your father gets home," Ella replied, resignedly.

"Mom, you're the best!" Aria declared, flinging her arms around her mother again.

"Don't get too excited. Remember it's just for now," Ella reiterated. Aria merely nodded, smiling hugely, as she began to unclick Lily's baby seat.

"There you go, baby girl! We're home now," she said softly. "Come and see your new house."

"Is she awake?" Ella said, coming over.

"Yeah. She woke up when the car stopped. I guess she likes it, like you said."

Aria carried Lily inside carefully, while Ella took charge of the suitcase and the huge baby bag the hospital had given them. Lily started crying as they got inside, so Aria unstrapped her from the babyseat and picked her up gently.

"What's up, baby girl? Are you hungry?" she said, soothingly, rocking Lily from side to side in her arms with little bouncing motions. Lily stopped fussing immediately.

"You look like a pro already," Ella commented, feeling strangely proud.

"Would you believe I read this in a book, and practised with one of my dolls?" Aria asked, laughing. "But I think she IS hungry, after all – it's round about her feeding time now. Actually, now that I think about it, _I'm_ hungry! Three days of hospital food, and I'm ready for something REAL."

"There's some chicken pasta from last night in the fridge," Ella said. "Or salad? We've got lettuce and tomatoes, at any rate."

"Both. All of the above," Aria declared. "I'm going to go upstairs and feed Lily, and then I'll come down and eat when we're done. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Ella replied. "I'll get going on the salad so long."

Aria took Lily upstairs and propped up some cushions against her headboard, then lay down carefully against them. She took out her phone to text Ezra, while she got Lily into the right position.

_Hey love! Guess who's home? And guess who said you can come over and visit this afternoon? YES! My mom is caving. So let me know when you can come. We can't wait to see you. Xxx_

Nearly ten minutes went by before she received a reply, which was expected, since Ezra would be teaching at that hour.

_I don't believe it! I'm coming straight after school before she changes her mind! I love you! E_

_I love you too, _Aria typed, and then, feeling Lily pull away from her, indicating that she was finished feeding, she lifted the baby up higher on her body, and snapped a quick photo of the two of them. She knew Ezra would probably delete it as soon as he'd seen it, as they usually did with their texts to each other, but at least he'd have seen it.

Aria tucked Lily into her little moses basket, where she was supposed to sleep for the next few weeks, hemmed in with rolled up blankets so that she couldn't turn over, and left the room – for five seconds, before she returned and picked the basket up carefully, and carried it downstairs.

"Couldn't leave her alone upstairs, huh?" Ella asked sympathetically, as Aria placed the basket gently on the kitchen table.

"Nope. I wanted to watch her while I eat," Aria explained, a little sheepishly. "Is it weird that I don't want to miss a moment of her life, even if she's sleeping?"

"Not at all," Ella assured her. "Here's your salad, and the pasta's just finished warming up now."

"Thanks, Mom. Oh, and I spoke to Ezra; he's coming over straight after school."

"You should probably have a nap after you've eaten, then," Ella replied. "Especially while Lily's asleep."

"I could do with a nap for sure," Aria agreed. "No nurses stomping in and out, or people yelling outside my door...bliss."

After she'd finished eating, Aria went upstairs with Lily and proceeded to do just that. When Ezra arrived a couple of hours later, he was met at the door by Ella, who informed him that Aria was still asleep.

"Oh – well, we shouldn't wake her, then," Ezra replied immediately, as Ella closed the door behind him. "I'm sure Lily will wake her up when she needs feeding, anyway. I don't mind waiting."

"It's been a few hours now, so it probably won't be long," Ella said, awkwardly. "Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"Coffee sounds great; I haven't slept much since Saturday," Ezra admitted. "I can't stop thinking about Lily."

"Well, at least she won't be waking _you_ up in the middle of the night every night from now on," Ella replied, a little nastily.

Ezra looked surprised, but decided not to reply, assuming – correctly – that anything he said would only antagonize Ella further. He merely nodded, and then, as Ella handed over a mug of coffee, he took refuge in it by taking long, slow sips.

"Did Aria tell you what we discussed about your, uh...situation?" Ella asked, after a lengthy pause.

"No. She only texted me that I could come over. We didn't actually speak; I had back to back classes today."

_Because you're her teacher_, Ella wanted to say. However, she restrained herself, and explained to Ezra what she had told Aria in the car that morning.

"For now, I'm going to allow you to come and visit Lily," she said. "However much I don't like it, she is your daughter, and I can see that she means a lot to you. I don't want to be the monster who keeps a child away from her own father. However, this does not mean that I approve in any way of your relationship with my daughter. But realistically, you have a baby together now, so much as I would like to tell you to leave town and never contact Aria again, I can't."

"Thank you, Ella," Ezra said, sincerely. "That means more to me than you'll ever know."

"However," Ella continued, "This is not a normal relationship, and I'm not going to treat it as such. "I'm going to allow you to see Aria and Lily for now, but I'm going to monitor things, and I reserve the right to change my mind. Like I told Aria, I want to try and understand what it is you two have together, but at the same time, I'm not going to condone it. But I know I'd get nowhere with Aria if I made her cut you out of her life altogether; that, and, as I said before, I can't keep a child away from a father that wants to be in her life. But it's thin ice over here, Ezra. There have to be rules."

"Okay. What kind of rules?" Ezra asked, nodding.

"Firstly, that you only come over here when I allow it. And Aria isn't allowed at your apartment anymore. Secondly, that you don't...have sex," she said with difficulty.

"Um...no offence, Ella, but isn't that rather like locking the stable after the horse has gone?" Ezra said. "I mean, obviously we've already...I mean-"

"That was a mistake which won't happen again," Ella retorted. "I'm letting you see Aria for Lily's sake. But there will be no more...intimacy. You're still her teacher, for God's sake."

"So, no sex for a year, then?" Ezra questioned, raising an eyebrow. He wondered if Ella had told Aria this part. He assumed not. It might have been the pregnancy hormones, but Aria had always been a lot more, well, horny, for want of a better word, than he had. He smothered a grin, remembering that free period in his classroom, where she had practically ravished him on a desk. He couldn't imagine she'd do anything other than hit the roof at this ultimatum. Not that he was exactly pleased by the idea himself, but he was willing to do whatever it took to be with Aria, and if that meant celibacy till she left school, then so be it.

Ella looked surprised at this response. Clearly Ezra honestly thought that he and Aria would still be together in a year, and that everything would just magically work out then. But things didn't usually do that; and certainly not when the situation was so complicated.

"That's the rule," was all Ella said, her eyes challenging him to protest.

"Okay," Ezra replied, meeting her eyes levelly, as if to say, _you can't get rid of me that easily_.

_Game on_, Ella thought, but merely continued out loud, "Of course, I want you to stay away from Lily and Aria at school, once Lily comes to the nursery. And to make sure you do that, I've applied for a job at the school."

This caught Ezra offguard. "What – what kind of job?" he demanded, coughing as he choked a little on his coffee.

"Teaching, of course. I used to teach before Aria was born, actually. But with kids it was easier to have a more flexible job. But then I heard that Liam Thurley was leaving, so I applied for his job yesterday."

"So you'd be teaching English, too?" Ezra asked. Surprisingly, this was upsetting him more than the sex ban. School would have been the one place where he could interact with Aria outside of her parents' rules. Well, apparently not anymore. AND now he'd have to deal with Ella in the workplace, too. Great.

Ella knew what he was thinking, and mentally hugged herself in glee at her plan. It was just by chance that she was friendly with one of the other teachers at Rosewood Day, and that she had happened to come by the museum the day before. As soon as the topic had come up, Ella had leaped at it, and by the end of the day she had applied for the job, with the promise of a glowing recommendation from her friend, with whom she had taught years ago.

"Yep. English and history," she replied. "It'll be nice to get back into it, actually. I've missed it more than I realised." _And I can keep an eye on you and my daughter_, she added mentally.

Ezra, for his part, knew exactly what she was thinking, too. For a moment they stared at each other with a _bring it on_ kind of look, until a little wail from upstairs caused them to look away.

"Well, there's Lily, right on schedule," Ella remarked.

"Can I go up and see them?" Ezra asked politely, clearly wanting to keep on Ella's good side.

Ella nodded. "Yes, but leave the door open."

Ezra nodded, then, as he left the room, he rolled his eyes. What did Ella think he was going to do? Jump someone who had just given birth three days before? Honestly. He raced upstairs lightly, and pushed open Aria's door, which was ajar.

"Hey, you," he said, his face lighting up at the sight of her. She was sitting on the bed, leaning over Lily, who was in her basket, also on the bed, against the wall.

"Ezra!" Aria jumped up and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too," he said, squeezing her gently, and then stooping down to give her a kiss. Mindful of Ella's words, he had only intended a peck, but Aria pulled him closer and kissed him harder, slipping her tongue into his mouth, and he gave in and kissed her back with full force, until they were interrupted by a cry from Lily, who was clearly hungry, and indignant at being forgotten.

"Just as well, really," Ezra said with a little laugh, as Aria released him from her grasp. "Your mother mightn't be too keen on that if she came upstairs."

"Pff, it's just a kiss," Aria retorted, picking Lily up out of the basket. "Ezra, do you mind moving that to the floor? Then we can both sit on the bed while I feed Lily."

Ezra did so, and then Aria handed him the baby to hold while she unbuttoned her pyjama top and got settled on the bed. He cooed at her in baby talk before he handed her back to Aria, and then came and sat next to her on the bed. Aria automatically snuggled in closer to him as she positioned Lily on her breast. They both stared down at her for a moment, before Ezra spoke.

"I had a ... shall we say, interesting conversation with your mother downstairs, while we were waiting for you to wake up," he began.

Aria turned wide eyes on him. "What did she say?" she demanded, worried.

"Some ground rules, which I don't think you're going to like. I'm only allowed over here when she says I can come, which I assume means when she's here to keep an eye on us. And you're not allowed to come to my apartment anymore."

"What? But that means we'll never get any alone time," Aria protested.

"Yeah, well, about that: we're also not allowed to have sex anymore," Ezra said wryly.

"WHAT?" This one was more of a shriek than anything else, and even Lily took fright and lost her grip, immediately bursting out crying. Aria put her back into place with soothing noises, and then looked back up at Ezra, aghast.

"Seriously? We're not allowed to have sex? We have a _baby_. Isn't that a bit late?"

"More or less what I said," Ezra agreed. "But I didn't argue, because seeing you without sex is infinitely preferable to not seeing you at all. Right?"

"Yeah, right. Come back to me in a month and tell me if you're still so happy about it," Aria grumbled.

"Oh, please! It's you that wouldn't be able to do it," Ezra teased her.

"Excuse me?" Aria said indignantly.

"Let's just say, if we had a no sex bet to see who would cave first, it would totally be you," Ezra replied, chuckling.

"Would not!"

"Really? Seriously? Aria, you've been the instigator of practically every bit of sex we've ever had!"

"That was baby hormones. I could totally do it now. You would SO cave first," Aria proclaimed confidently.

"Oh really? Because I seem to recall you pretty much instigating our first time, and there was no baby then," Ezra smiled, ruffling her hair.

"I think that was both of us wanting it," Aria retorted.

"I'm not saying I didn't want it. I wanted you like crazy. I just wouldn't have started it, in case you weren't ready. Which only goes to prove that _I_ have the self control here."

"Oh, who am I kidding, you're totally right," Aria admitted with an exasperated sigh. "If I wasn't so..._tender_ down there, I'd be jumping you right now. Making love to you is pretty much the best thing ever."

"I know," Ezra replied, kissing the top of her head. "But if your mother has her way, it's going to be a year of waiting, until you graduate and we can safely be together again."

"At which point, I'm skipping my graduation party and fucking your brains out," Aria replied firmly. She groaned. "Ugh, I can't even think about waiting that long. But I'm sure my Mom will come around after a few weeks. She just needs to see us together, see how perfect we are, and how much we love each other. She'll soon realise it's pointless to keep us apart for this year when we're going to be together once I graduate, anyway."

"I have a suspicion she doesn't think we'll last that long," Ezra confessed. "That's why she's trying to keep us apart as much as possible now, so that we'll find it too difficult and break up, or something."

"Well, then she's in for a rude awakening, because I'm never letting you go," Aria retorted.

"Ditto," Ezra responded. "You and this little girl are the best things that ever happened to me. And you're my family. I won't just leave my family."

"Well then, we're just going to have to prove that to my mother," Aria said. "By the time we tell my Dad, she'll know we're in this for the long haul, and she'll have to start supporting us at some point once we move away."

"Where do you want to go?" Ezra said, smiling as he played with a tendril of Aria's hair. It was one of his favourite things, planning his future with her.

"I don't know. Part of me wants to go to New York, like I've always wanted; go to college there, live right in the city, go for walks in Central Park with you and Lily..."

"That sounds amazing. What about the other part?"

"That part feels like we should live somewhere more child-friendly; a house with a backyard, and neighbourhood kids Lily can go and play with," Aria said, softly touching the fine hair on Lily's head. "Something like I grew up with here. It was great, when I was a little kid, to grow up in a small town. Now, though, it's kind of...stifling. And, of course, it's made it harder for us to be together. Not that I want Lily to have the same problems we've had," she added, quickly.

"If she ever dates a teacher, I'll kill her," Ezra said, and then burst out laughing. Aria joined him, and Lily pulled away and looked at them.

"Did we disturb you, baby girl? Or have you had enough?" Aria asked. "Where do you want to live, Lily? City or suburb?" She pulled Lily up to her shoulder, and sat up to wind her, carefully rubbing her back in circles.

"I think she'll be fine, wherever she has us as parents," Ezra said complacently.

"Seriously? Cos I don't know what the hell I'm doing," Aria confessed.

"No one does, love. You learn along the way. Think of it as a crash course," Ezra smiled.

"How did you get so clever?" Aria asked.

"I read a lot of books," Ezra replied, smirking. "Now let me have a turn at winding my baby, since you don't seem to have got anything up."

"It doesn't happen immediately," Aria protested.

"I know, love. I just want to practise doing it," Ezra explained. Aria handed Lily over, and he held her to his shoulder, rubbing her back as Aria had done. Lily promptly threw up on his shoulder, and Aria shrieked with laughter.

"Not funny," Ezra protested, nevertheless unable to keep from laughing himself.

"Everything okay in here?" said Ella, coming in the door. Ezra and Aria briefly wondered how long she had been standing there, and if they'd said anything that she shouldn't have overheard, before Aria, quickly buttoning up her top, explained. "Ezra told me I wasn't winding Lily properly, so he took her, and she threw up all over him!" she said, giggling.

"Well, it got the gas out, didn't it?" Ezra retorted. "Ella, may I use your bathroom to clean up?"

"Of course," Ella replied.

"Here you go, love," Ezra said, handing their baby back to Aria. "I'll be back in a minute."

Aria waited till she heard the bathroom door close, and then turned to her mother. "Seriously, mom? No sex?"

"Aria, you've made some pretty bad judgment calls this last year," said Ella. "You were grounded because you got pregnant, and that was before I knew that you'd been sleeping with one of your teachers! I think I'm quite within my rights as a parent to forbid you to sleep with him again, even though I'm allowing him to see his baby."

"I get what you're saying," Aria nodded. "It just seems a bit pointless, that's all. I mean, we've already HAD sex. A lot-"

"_Aria_," Ella said, warningly.

"All right, all right. I'm just saying, if it ever came down to it, it's kind of obvious to prove that we slept together while he was my teacher. We have a _baby_. So it's not really going to make much difference if we do it again, is it?"

"It will to me," Ella replied firmly. "I'm not at all comfortable with the idea of you and him together, and it will make me feel a lot better if there is no more intimacy between you."

"Fine," Aria rolled her eyes. "But it's totally pointless in the long run, because after I graduate we're going to have as much sex as we like."

"And when that happens, I'll deal with it then," Ella said quietly. "In the meantime, your father just called, and he's going to be home at five, so Ezra needs to leave before then – _well_ before then, to be safe. In the meantime, you can stay up here as long as you keep the door open. Deal?"

"Deal," Aria sighed. Then, as Ella left the room, she picked up one of her throw pillows and screamed silently into it, feeling much better afterwards.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

When Byron Montgomery arrived home that evening, he was feeling strangely nervous. This was the day his granddaughter came home from the hospital; the day that everything really changed. His seventeen-year-old daughter was now a mother, fully responsible for a tiny new human being she had created. Of course, he and Ella would help, but Aria had made it very clear ever since they'd found out she was expecting, that she was going to take responsibility for Lily, and do everything that Lily needed herself – especially since she wasn't able to contribute financially.

Byron had, of course, visited Aria and Lily in the hospital – though only twice – but it still hadn't quite sunk in that his daughter was a mother. It had kind of felt much like the times he'd visited her in hospital when she'd been ill as a child. But now, as he walked up his front steps, the enormity hit him that there was a baby living with them now; that his daughter had had sex and gotten pregnant and had a baby, and everything was different now. And it seemed to him that he was the only one who didn't like it.

As he walked in the door and took off his jacket, he could hear Ella and the kids laughing in the kitchen, and he smiled sadly: glad to hear it, but sad that things had to change. He walked over to join them.

"Hey, honey. How was work?" Ella asked, coming over with a bowl of breadcrumbs in her hands, and reaching up to give him a peck on the cheek.

"It was good. How is...everything here?" he replied uncertainly, glancing round to see what was happening. Aria was sitting on a barstool, beating some eggs in a bowl, and Mike was leaning against the counter, holding his new niece in his arms.

"Lily's making the cutest faces," Mike said, clearly completely enamoured of her already, and barely glancing up at Byron.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," Byron said, coming over to Aria and putting his arm around her. It was so confusing to him, the mixed feelings he had about the situation. On the one hand, he was really disappointed in Aria for getting into this mess. On the other hand, she was his daughter and he loved her, and he was really proud of the way she was handling her mistake. And when it came to Lily; well, she was his granddaughter, and he loved her already. But it was also painful to see her and be reminded of his daughter having sex with some unknown boy at a drunken party. He wished he could erase the image from his mind, but he couldn't seem to, no matter how hard he tried.

"Hi, Dad," Aria said, smiling, and pulling him in closer. "I think Lily likes her new home already."

"And why wouldn't she? It's a great home," Byron replied, smiling too.

"Here, Dad. You wanna take her?" Mike came over with Lily.

"Oh – yes, of course," Byron replied, carefully taking the baby, who was wrapped in a white blanket covered in pink and lilac sheep. Only her face and arms were visible, and as Byron adjusted her in his arms she stared up at him interestedly, her blue eyes wide and curious. Then she took hold of one of his fingers and held on tightly. Byron's face broke into a huge beam.

"Hey there, little girl. Are you the most beautiful girl in the world? Yes, you are!"

"No arguments here," Aria said, unable to keep the pride out of her voice.

"Well, of course she is, with you as her mother!" Ella added, almost as proud.

"She doesn't really look like Aria did as a baby, though, do you, Lily?" Byron cooed.

"She probably looks like the father," Mike said.

"_Mike_," Ella hissed.

"What? Obviously there's a father, even if no one knows who he is! Are we not supposed to mention him, ever?"

"Preferably," Ella said, firmly. She wasn't sure which was worse – having to avoid speaking of the father because he was an anonymous hook-up, or because he was Aria's teacher, and she was the only one who knew that.

"But-"

"Michael. You heard your mother," Byron said in a warning tone. Mike glanced across at Aria, who shrugged. It wasn't like she could do anything about it, and anyway, not talking about the father would make it easier not to let something slip about Ezra. Mike sighed and subsided.

"What's for dinner?" Byron asked after an awkward pause.

"Crumbed chicken and potato wedges with bacon bits. Aria's decided she feels like bacon again," Ella explained.

"I didn't 'decide'. Lily's the one who didn't like it," Aria protested. "And now she's out of me, I can go back to eating whatever I want, thank you very much."

"Does that mean no more pickled onion sandwiches?" Mike asked hopefully. "Those things _reeked_."

"I'll see," Aria said, pretending to taunt him, but actually pretty certain she'd never touch one of those sandwiches again. Pregnancy cravings sure were strange.

"So, how are you feeling, Aria?" Byron asked, trying to keep a conversation going. He was rocking Lily back and forth gently in his arms, and she seemed to be enjoying it; at any rate, she wasn't crying, which was a good thing.

"Good, actually. Sore, and tired, but nothing too terrible," Aria replied, happily. "The one thing I was worried about was feeding her; you hear so many horror stories about it not working, and bleeding nipples and mastitis and all sorts of stuff, but Lily's been an angel about it."

"Oh – er, good," Byron said, trying valiantly not to think about his daughter having any sort of nipples at all, let alone bleeding ones. He wished he hadn't asked.

"She had a lovely long nap earlier, after – after we got home," Aria stumbled over the words slightly, and Ella threw her a warning glance. She knew what Aria had been about to say: _"After Ezra left"._ And if Ezra was to continue being a part of Aria and Lily's life, Aria had to be sure never to mention him. If Ella couldn't trust her to do that, she would have to insist that Ezra stay away from them.

Aria got all this, and more, from her mother's expression, and nodded to show she understood. It wasn't like she wanted her father to find out, anyway. She just had to be more careful. It wasn't as if she couldn't keep a secret. She'd hidden the pregnancy itself for months from everyone, as well as the identity of the father. She was _good_ at this stuff, for goodness' sakes. Baby brain must be affecting her worse than she'd thought.

"I thought I might go into school next week – for some classes, anyway," Aria said, changing the subject.

"Seriously? With a ten day old baby? But school closes at the end of next week anyway," Ella protested.

"Why would you want to go to school, when you have a totally legit reason to skip?" Mike asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Because I'm missing work, and I don't want to get behind," Aria protested.

"Aria, while I'm impressed that you're so dedicated, your mother's right. There's really no reason to go back so soon right at the end of the semester," Byron said. "You have the whole summer to catch up on what you've missed, and I'm sure Spencer, at least, will help you out."

"My friends aren't in all my classes, though," Aria protested. Of course, while she was honestly keen not to fall behind, the main reason she wanted to go was to be able to see Ezra, however briefly, without Ella looking over her shoulder. And, judging by Ella's raised eyebrows and steely gaze, Ella knew this too. Oh well, it had been worth a shot.

"Well, I don't see why not, then, if you're sure you're able to," Byron said, unwittingly foiling Ella's plan to forbid this.

"Byron, I don't think it's a good idea," Ella interjected quickly, looking daggers at Aria. "It's too soon, and it seems unnecessary."

"Mom, I'll be fine. Plus I kind of want to show Lily off, too, while she's so tiny," Aria replied, staring her mother straight back in the eyes.

"Seriously? I'd have thought you couldn't wait to go back to normal, and not be the junior who got knocked up," Mike said, more curious than anything else.

Aria understood, and shrugged. "I have a baby now, so everyone can just get used to that too. It's not like I gave her up, and we could all just forget it ever happened. Not that I ever would. But I mean, I'll be taking her to the school nursery every day for the whole of next year, so everyone's going to have to get used to it sooner or later. And I'm proud of her, now. Yeah, it was awkward when everyone found out I was pregnant. People were kind of assholes about it-"

"I heard Mr Fitz threw a chair right across the room at Noel Kahn when he was being a dick about it; is that true?" Mike interrupted.

Aria was somewhat taken aback by this, and didn't know what to say. Unwillingly, she caught Ella's eye, and Ella's expression said plainly what she thought: that if Ezra couldn't control his temper when people said something he didn't like about Aria, then she seriously doubted his ability to keep it secret that he was the father.

"Your English teacher threw a chair at a student?" Byron asked, shocked.

Aria sighed, frustrated. "He didn't throw it AT Noel. He threw it at the wall, to get them to shut up. We were writing a test, but it was the day the whole school found out I was pregnant, and they wouldn't shut up. I think Mr Fitz just got angry when they wouldn't listen to him."

"That's completely unprofessional," Byron retorted. "I hope someone reported him."

"Dad, Mr Fitz is a really good teacher. He's the _best_ teacher," Aria replied, suddenly tearing up. "It wasn't his finest moment, sure, but – I was really glad he stuck up for me, okay? So can you just drop it?"

"It's okay, Aria. We don't need to talk about this anymore. We know you're still emotional and hormonal," Ella said, quickly, wanting to turn the conversation away from Ezra Fitz as fast as possible.

"No – ok, well, yes, maybe I am, but he's still really great, and if you say anything to anyone I'll never forgive you," Aria sobbed.

"No one's saying anything, honey. It's long over, anyway," Ella said, soothingly. "Now why don't you go and lie down for a bit, and we'll call you when dinner's ready? We can watch Lily down here, if you like."

"No, I'll take her with me," Aria choked out. Of course, she realized, this was Day Three. The day all your post-partum hormones went bananas, apparently. But why did it have to be about Ezra? Of all the people she didn't want to mention in front of her family!

She took Lily carefully from Byron, who had been holding her all this time, and put her back in her carry cot, before making her way to her room. As she left the room, though, she heard Mike remark, "She REALLY likes that teacher..."

Upstairs, Aria settled Lily – who hadn't even woken up, so there wasn't much settling to be done – and leaned back against her pillows, frustrated and miserable. She'd been so happy when Ezra was here earlier, dammit. Why did things have to be so difficult? If only there was the remotest chance that Byron would be at least as understanding as Ella, she would tell him right now that Ezra was the father. But sometimes her father scared her; not often, in fact hardly ever, but once or twice she had seen this look in his eyes – a hard, steely, cold, but almost blank stare, like he had crossed right through anger and rage into a hard and calculating...being, focused on nothing but revenge. It had frightened her more than anything – even more than A ever had, or could. It was this Byron that Ella had been referring to, when she told Ezra that Byron might kill him if he found out that he was Lily's father. It wasn't an empty threat. Not that Byron HAD actually ever killed anyone, of course he hadn't! – but Aria didn't think anything could ever make him as angry as he would be if he ever found out her secret. And she didn't want to take that chance; well, not yet, anyway. Once she was out of school she and Ezra could get away if they needed to. But till then, it had to be this way.

Aria found her phone in her hands and had hit Ezra's speed dial number before she even knew what she was doing. Hastily, she ended the call. It was too much of a risk to speak to Ezra with her Dad and Mike in the house; things could be overheard far too easily, as she well knew from her experience with A. She decided to text him instead.

_Aria: Hey. I miss you already. What you up to?_

Almost immediately, Ezra responded.

_Ezra: Absolutely nothing. Staring at photos of you and Lily. It's all I want to do!_

_Aria: The ones Spencer took? I'm glad you have them. Next best thing to the real thing..._

_Ezra: Yeah. But nothing like it, either._

_Aria: Don't make me cry! I just stopped._

_Ezra: Why were you crying?_

_Aria: Stupid hormones mixed with wanting you here. And Dad & Mike talking about you without knowing the truth, and my mother's face when your name is mentioned._

_Ezra: I wish I could help. I'd tell everyone in a heartbeat, if I thought it would help._

_Aria: Yeah. But I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself, cos you have it worse than I do._

_Ezra: ? You're the one who has to look after Lily, and deal with your family, and the hormones and all that stuff!_

_Aria: Yeah. But you have to pretend you didn't just become a father. You can't even tell your family or your friends._

Ezra, sitting alone on his sofa, stared at his phone, rereading what Aria had just typed. It was true, but it was just that he'd been so focused on hiding the pregnancy from everyone, and then on Ella finding out, and the birth, that he hadn't really stopped to think about it yet. Of course, he was a new father, and that should mean friends and brothers and Dads all congratulating him, handing out cigars and champagne and whisky, and making lame jokes about his virility, while all the womenfolk got excited and squealed about how much the baby looked like him. At least, that's how it seemed to go in the movies. But he couldn't tell anyone. Sure, his mother knew a tiny piece of the story, but she had completely ignored him since he'd told her that he and "Elizabeth" were giving up the baby, and he didn't care enough to try to set things straight now. He'd tell her after Aria graduated. Maybe. But he kind of wished he could tell his father and brother that he was a Dad now. His father would be incredibly disappointed in him, though, if he was told the whole story. And he couldn't trust his brother not to report back to their father if he found out the truth. So that was his family out of it. And that left...no one.

Well, no one in his family, anyway. But maybe...

_Aria: Are you still there? You ok?_

_Ezra: Yeah. I was just thinking about what you said._

_Aria: I'm sorry. It was a crappy thing to say._

_Ezra: No, I'm glad you did. Hey, do you remember my friend Hardy?_

_Aria: How could I forget? He totally hated me!_

_Ezra: He didn't hate you. He was worried about what I was doing, dating you, but he didn't hate you. Anyway, I want to tell him._

_Aria: About Lily? Ummm. Is that a good idea?_

_Ezra: He won't tell anyone. I can trust him. It's just like you said, I need to tell someone. Someone from my life._

_Aria: Well, if you want to, but judging by his reaction to us when we weren't even properly together yet, I don't think he's going to be impressed._

_Ezra: He won't be. And he won't hide it. But he'll also be on my side, which is mostly what I need right now._

_Aria: Then tell him. You're right, you need this. I love you._

_Ezra: I love you more. Thanks for understanding. I'm gonna call him right now._

"Hey! Come on in, man." Hardy opened the door and let Ezra walk inside, before enveloping him in a bro-hug. "Man, I haven't seen you in ages! You want a beer?"

"Sure," Ezra replied, going over and sitting down on the sofa, trying not to be nervous. He hadn't seen Hardy for months, and it was mostly because he didn't know how to spend time with his best friend without telling him about the most important thing that had ever happened to him. At the time, he'd just been concentrating on not telling anyone about Aria being pregnant – or that he was involved with Aria at all. But Hardy already knew _that_ part, and Aria had been right: he needed to be able to tell someone about the whole situation – that he had a daughter, what the circumstances were, and how he felt about it all. Aria had her three friends (and now Ella, to a certain extent) to confide in, and of course everyone else knew that she'd had a baby. But Ezra had been keeping it all bottled up inside him for the best part of a year, and he hadn't realised what a toll it had been taking on him until Aria had mentioned it in her text message. And then all of a sudden he couldn't wait to tell someone.

"So, what's up?" Hardy said, handing Ezra a beer, and leaning back comfortably on the sofa opposite his friend. "I'm glad you called; I was beginning to think you were avoiding me or something."

"Yeah...truthfully? I kind of was," Ezra said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand – a nervous habit of his.

Hardy sat upright. "What? Seriously, dude? What did I do?" He looked so concerned that Ezra couldn't help but chuckle, just for a second.

"Relax, you didn't do anything. It was all me."

"You're not seriously giving me the old 'it's not you, it's me' speech?" Hardy demanded. "You're supposed to use that on _girls_, not on your best friend! Did I teach you nothing?"

"Sometimes I think you taught me too much," Ezra replied, shaking his head. "No...I wasn't trying to get rid of you, or anything. I had a lot of stuff going on that I had to deal with – okay, it's more than that," he added quickly as Hardy raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. "I did something...and something else happened because of it, and I didn't know how to tell you. I still don't, actually."

Hardy's eyes were wide. "Dude, what did you _do_?" he demanded.

"Ummm. I don't know whether to start at the beginning or the end," Ezra said. "On the way here, I was trying to figure out the best way to tell you, but whichever way I started it still sounded...I don't know. Shit, this is hard."

"Ezra, calm down. It's me. You can tell me anything," Hardy said, leaning forward. "Plus I don't know if I should be curious or scared right now, so please just tell me _something_."

"Okay. I'll start with the good news – at least, _I_ think it's good news." Ezra breathed in deeply. "Okay. Here goes. I have a baby."

Hardy frowned. "You have a _what _now?"

"A baby. I'm a father, just since Saturday," Ezra said simply, unable to stop himself from smiling at the thought of it. Of Lily.

Hardy sank back into his cushions. "Fucking hell," was all he said.

"Yup. Kind of my reaction too, when I first found out," Ezra admitted.

"Wait, I didn't even know you were seeing someone! Why didn't you tell me?" Hardy demanded, sitting back up and staring at Ezra, confused.

"Yeah...because that's the hard part. And also, you kind of already know."

"No, I don't! Unless you told me when I was drunk, or something, which is totally unfair."

"Remember the last time we saw each other?" Ezra asked. "At that bar where I read my stupid story out at that open mic thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Well?"

Hardy stared at Ezra, confused, and then his eyes widened in realization and shock. "Oh my God. You didn't, Ezra. Please tell me you weren't so stupid!"

Ezra shrugged. "I was that stupid. WE were that stupid. Thing is...it didn't _feel_ stupid. It felt...right."

"Of course it _felt_ right! She's smart, and pretty; I get why you were attracted to her! But that doesn't matter, Ezra! She was your student! Jesus Christ, I thought the two of you were just flirting with each other, but you actually went and screwed her?"

"Basically," Ezra admitted. He knew Hardy was going to be mad at him, and he deserved it, so he was going to take it without argument. He didn't have one, anyway, except that he loved Aria.

"And she got pregnant? Fucking hell, Ezra, how dumb could you be?" Hardy was staring at him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"We did use a condom, actually," Ezra replied, trying not to sound too defensive, because Hardy needed to get all this off his chest. "But apparently one time with one faulty condom was all it took."

"Yeah, well, it was one time too many with a _student,_ that's for sure," Hardy muttered.

"Hardy, I get why you're mad at me, I do," said Ezra. "It's why I didn't want to tell you. I made some pretty huge mistakes this last year, and I've got no defence. But I had to tell someone. It's driving me crazy; I'm a DAD, and none of my friends or family know. I just needed someone to talk to, someone on my side. Even if you're mad at me for now."

"Dude, I'm not mad AT you," Hardy said, slowly. "Well, I sort of am, but not in a "how dare you do this" kind of way. I'm mad that you got yourself into this position. You're better than that, Ezra. This is the sort of dumbass thing _I'd_ do, not you!"

"Yeah. I know I've let a lot of people down," Ezra sighed.

"Dude, you're supposed to argue with me about this being the sort of dumbass thing I'd do," Hardy protested, with a glimmer of a smile. "Please tell me I'd never do anything so stupid!"

Ezra smiled, relieved. "Okay. You'd never do anything this stupid. I hope. But here's the thing, Hardy. When you're in love with someone, you do some crazy stupid stuff."

Hardy raised his eyebrows. "In love, huh?"

"Afraid so. Completely and utterly crazy for her," Ezra said nonchalantly, but unable to keep a hint of pride and excitement out of his voice.

"And you're still her teacher, right? How's that working out for you?" Hardy asked, curiously.

"It's – interesting," Ezra said. "It's never been that big an issue, though – for us, anyway. Luckily she's a great student, so I'm able to give her the good grades she deserves. That's never been a problem. The main thing is having to remember not to look at her in class how I _want_ to look at her, or say anything I shouldn't, or touch her in public in any way. And when she was pregnant, and sitting right in front of me with her baby bump, and me knowing whose baby was in there, but not able to say anything...yeah, that was pretty crappy."

"Wait, so they let her stay on at Rosewood Day the whole time she was pregnant? That's quite liberal of them. I don't think that would have happened at my old school."

"Dude, you went to an all boys school," Ezra pointed out, grinning.

"True. But I remember there was a senior who got his girlfriend pregnant – I think I was a freshman or a sophomore then – and apparently she had to leave her school and go to one of those places for unmarried pregnant teens. At least, that's what the rumours said."

"I guess it depends on the parents, too. Aria's parents are...actually, I don't know what I'd call them, but they were okay with her staying on at school, anyway."

"And, the million dollar question is...do they know?" Hardy asked curiously.

"Ah. About me? That's a long and interesting story. Aria told them she'd had a one-night stand with a boy she didn't know, and that's what they believed. And what her Dad still believes. Her mother, however, caught us in a rather compromising position just a few days ago – on Saturday, in fact."

"Holy crap. And you're still alive to tell the tale?"

"Yes, well, luckily, as it turns out, Aria chose that moment to go into labor. So in between the rushing to the hospital, and the worry over the baby arriving early – she wasn't due for another five weeks, really – Ella had to hold off on murdering me. And then, of course, it's hard to wish death on a new father weeping tears of joy."

"Weeping, really?" Hardy grinned.

"Yup, and I'm happy to admit it. Come back to me one day when you've held your own baby in your arms, and tell me honestly that you didn't cry like a little girl," Ezra retorted.

"Um, yeah, I think I'm going to hold off on that for a while," Hardy replied. "I can't even get my head around the idea of _you_ being a father. Damn. This is...huge. So wait, you said the baby was just born on Saturday?"

"I know, I can't believe it's only three days ago. She's a girl, by the way – did I say that? We've named her Lily."

Hardy shook his head. "I still don't believe Ezra Fitz has a baby. This is crazy."

"Right there with you, man," Ezra replied. "It's nuts. But she's just...perfect. And Aria's so...I love her even more now that she's the mother of my child, you know? Basically I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"Aside from the fact that if anyone at the school, or her Dad, finds out, you'll probably go to jail," Hardy said cheerfully.

"Aside from that, yes," Ezra agreed.

"Wait, howcome Aria's mom hasn't thrown you to the wolves yet?"

"That's a very good question, and one I'm still trying to answer myself," Ezra replied candidly. "I think that between us we've convinced her that we really are in love, and that I want to be a real father to Lily, and that I'm in this for the long haul. And she loves Aria too much to keep me out of her and Lily's lives. But she's not happy about it. I see daggers in her eyes every time she looks at me."

"But at least she's letting you see them, right? And she's lying to her husband for you. That sounds like a pretty good start."

"It is," Ezra agreed. "But get this: when I went over there this afternoon – they just got home from the hospital this morning – Ella calmly informs me that I'm not allowed to have sex with Aria ever again – or at least not till she graduates, which is only next summer. We're planning on telling everyone and moving in together, then."

"Dude, wait – so many questions! You mother-in-law (yes I know she isn't really, but she pretty much is) talked to you about not having sex with her daughter? What did you _say_?"

"I said okay! What else could I say? _"No, I like fucking your daughter so much that I'm never going to stop"?"_

Hardy burst out laughing. "Oh God, I almost wish you had said that."

"They probably would have been the last words I ever spoke, in that case," Ezra chuckled. "And you should have seen Aria's face when I told her. She nearly hit the roof."

"Wait, I thought you said you only did it the one time, anyway?" Hardy demanded.

"We did, before she got pregnant. Once we found out, it kind of became a "what's the worst that could happen now?" scenario. And apparently pregnant women get very..."

"Horny?" Hardy supplied, helpfully.

"Pretty much exactly," Ezra replied ruefully, and a little embarrassedly. "And Aria can be _very_ persuasive."

"Without too much complaining on your side, I'm sure," Hardy teased.

"Let's just say I have more self-control than her, but it doesn't always help," Ezra said, firmly.

"Which ended up with you being caught by her mother. Ouch."

"That wasn't our fault. Ella was supposed to be away till the next day, but she came home early," Ezra protested. "Anyway, it worked out in the end, because I got to be there when Lily was born, which never would have happened before. And it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Hey, do you want to see some pictures?"

"Sure," Hardy replied. Ezra dug the envelope out of his satchel, and handed the pictures over to his friend.

"These are awesome, man," Hardy said. "This one of you holding the baby – it's really, really good. And, don't take this the wrong way, but if that's what Aria looks like after giving birth, no wonder you can't keep your hands off her usually. I kind of forgot how hot she was."

"Hey, that's the mother of my child you're talking about," Ezra protested, but only teasingly.

"Can I meet Lily?" Hardy demanded.

Ezra hesitated. "I don't know, man. I'd love you to, but Aria's not allowed near me outside of her house, so you'd have to go over there with me..."

"If it's going to cause a problem, it's okay," Hardy said quickly.

"No, you know what? She's my baby, and why shouldn't I bring my best friend over to see her?" Ezra said suddenly and firmly. "Ella will just have to deal with it – in fact, she should prefer it, since it'll mean Aria and I aren't alone together. I'll make a plan for tomorrow afternoon; are you in?"

"Totally."

"And Hardy? Thanks for being the one person I could tell this to."


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N**

**I know, I'm terrible at updating! And I get so many reviews asking me to update...I'm really touched that you are all still reading my story! When I started this, there had literally been about 4 or 5 episodes of PLL ever, and now we're well into Season 4. Craziness. So to the long-time readers, thanks for staying, and to the new readers, thanks for reading!**

* * *

CHAPTER 40

"So...here we are," Ezra said, as he parked his car two doors down from the Montgomery residence. "Well, almost. It's that house just up there. I don't park outside, just in case."

"In case Aria's father comes home early and finds you playing daddy to his grandchild?" Hardy grinned.

"Something like that. Well, not entirely, obviously, because it's not my _car_ he'd be catching, but me. Still, it feels safer not to have my car seen outside their house every day."

"Every day, huh?" Hardy said, one eyebrow raised quizzically, as he and Ezra got out of the car.

"Well...as many days as Ella will go for it," Ezra amended. "It's only a couple of hours each day that I get to see my baby girl, after all. Ella can learn to deal with that."

"Just don't get too pushy about it, okay? I haven't met the woman yet, of course, but judging from what you've told me she could change her mind about letting you play happy families at the drop of a hat. So just be careful."

"Oh, trust me, I am," Ezra assured his friend. "I can't even kiss Aria on the cheek if Ella's around! I'm doing everything by the book for as long as I need to."

"And yet, here you are, turning up on the doorstep with a total stranger, without clearing it with her first," Hardy teased.

"Yeah, well. I didn't think she'd mind my best friend meeting my baby..." Ezra replied. By this time they had arrived at the Montgomery's front door, and he rang the bell.

"I seem to recall you saying something about "she can suck it up"..." Hardy grinned.

"I did not say that!" Ezra protested. "Well, not exactly – anyway, never mind that now. Ella's coming, so sssh."

It wasn't Ella, however, whom Ezra had seen through the opaque glass pane in the door, but Aria, who squealed and threw herself into Ezra's arms, kissing him passionately. Ezra kissed back for just a few seconds, before her pushed her away gently.

"Aria, we can't kiss on the doorstep in front of the whole street, never mind your mother! Where is she, anyway?"

"On the back porch, on the phone with my grandmother. It'll be a while," Aria grinned, looking pleased with herself. "Come on in."

"You remember Hardy, right?" Ezra asked as they entered the house.

"Of course. Hey," Aria said with a breezy little wave, which didn't quite cover up her nervousness at seeing Ezra's best friend again. The last time they'd met, he'd practically talked Ezra out of their relationship, and she guessed that, as a protective best friend, he would have been none too pleased to discover that not only had Ezra ignored his advice, but had got his student pregnant into the bargain.

"Hey, Aria. It's nice to see you again," Hardy said, a little stiffly. It wasn't that he meant to be unfriendly (in fact he was quite willing to be friendly with Aria for Ezra's sake, now that he'd had time to mull over the whole situation), but he was nervous, too. This wasn't just Ezra's girlfriend; this was a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl who had just given birth to her teacher's baby, and he had no idea how he should act.

Aria's face fell, and Ezra saw it immediately and glared at Hardy. Guiltily, he tried again.

"So...congratulations. I only found out last night, but Ezra chewed my ear off for literally half the night, telling me about you and Lily, which means I can say in all honesty that he never shuts up about the two of you." He smiled at Aria, and she smiled back, discernibly relieved.

"We're the lucky ones," she replied, intertwining her fingers with Ezra's as he stood next to her. "I can't imagine what we'd do without him. Would you like to meet her?"

"The spawn of Ezra Fitz? Why yes, I can hardly wait," Hardy grinned.

"She's just in here in the living room, in her basket," Aria said, leading the way. "I thought we'd wait for you down here."

Lily's basket was on the big coffee table, and as the trio leaned over to look, she stared back up at them with her big dark eyes.

"I'm glad she's awake for you," Aria said, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. "Ezra, why don't you take her and say hello, and then Hardy can hold her."

"I've never even seen a baby this tiny," Hardy said, staring in wonder at the tiny dark-haired being as Ezra carefully lifted her out of her basket, and rested her head on his arm.

"She came early," Aria explained. "She's fine, thank goodness, but just smaller than she would have been if I'd carried her full-term."

"And, of course, Aria's built like a tiny pixie herself," Ezra grinned.

Aria shot him a withering look. "She takes after you, though. Otherwise I wouldn't have been walking around for the past few months looking like I had a beachball stuffed down my top. I'd have been one of those tiny, svelte pregnant girls who don't even start showing till the week before they give birth."

"Whatever, you looked beautiful, and I wouldn't have had it any other way," Ezra said lovingly, leaning over carefully to kiss her. Hardy looked away, feeling awkward.

"Oh, right! You want to hold Lily, don't you?" Ezra said, realising that they were making Hardy uncomfortable, and changing the subject.

"Well, yes...if you're sure I won't break her," Hardy replied. "I've never held a newborn before."

Ezra grinned. "Neither had I, until last Saturday. It's not as scary as it appears. Look, just hold your arms out and I'll put her in them. Then just make sure her head is supported."

"Okaaay." Hardy did as he was told, and found himself holding the tiny four-day-old baby, who gazed up at him unblinkingly.

"Oh my God, she's beautiful!" he exclaimed."Damn, Ezra, I can't believe she's yours. This baby is your kid. It's nuts."

"That's pretty much been both of our reactions for the past four days," Ezra admitted. "We can't believe we created something so perfect."

"She must take after her mother, then," Hardy teased.

"I'd hit you, but you're holding my baby," Ezra assured him cheerfully.

"Of course, why do you think I took her in the first place?" Hardy retorted. "She's like a tiny bullet proof vest. I can say anything and you can't touch me! Ha!"

"You can't hold her forever, so just wait," Ezra warned, teasingly.

"Hello? What's going on in here?" The trio heard Ella's voice as she walked unheard into the room. Ezra and Aria, who had been standing close together, holding hands, jumped apart guiltily, and Hardy, still holding Lily, smiled awkwardly at Aria's mother.

"Hello, and you are?" she enquired, not unfriendly, but not exactly welcoming either.

"Oh – Ella, this is my best friend Hardy, whom I've known since college," Ezra explained quickly. "I brought him over to meet Lily."

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you, Hardy," Ella said. "I'd shake your hand, but I'd rather you kept them both holding my granddaughter."

"Yes, indeed," Hardy murmured uncertainly.

"Aria, have you offered Hardy and Ezra something to drink?" Ella enquired.

"No, not yet. They literally just got here a couple of minutes ago."

"Ah. Well, in that case – coffee, tea, lemonade, you two?"

"Um, lemonade, please," Ezra said, hating how awkward this always was.

"Same for me," Hardy said quickly.

"Great. Aria, why don't you come and help me? You two," she nodded at Ezra and Hardy, "make yourselves comfortable."

As Ella and an eye-rolling Aria left the room, Hardy grimaced at Ezra. "Yikes," was all he said.

"Tell me about it," Ezra said gloomily. "The sad thing is, she's actually really nice – you know, when you haven't got her teenage daughter pregnant. Before she found out about that, she was always really friendly to me. Not like MY mother, who is basically just a bitch to everyone."

"Oh, I remember," Hardy said fervently. "She doesn't know, does she? About Aria and Lily, I mean."

"That is a long story." And Ezra began to explain about "Elizabeth" and the baby that his mother thought had been given up for adoption.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, once they were out of earshot of the men in the living room, Ella casually remarked, "So, he's bringing friends over now, is he? I thought no one else knew about you two."

"No one did, until Ezra told Hardy last night," Aria replied, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice.

"And can we expect a slew of further friends and family to turn up here every day, after he tells them, too?"

"Oh, come on, Mom! It's not like that," Aria said, exasperated. "Think of it from his point of view – he hasn't been able to tell a single person in the world that he has a baby – or even that he has a girlfriend, come to that-"

"And whose fault is that?" Ella asked, coldly.

"Ours – yes, both of ours, of course – but that doesn't make it any easier on him. If anything, it makes it harder! So he told his best friend, the one person who could understand and support him through this. I mean, from the start I had Hanna and Emily and Spencer to rely on, and then after everyone found out I was pregnant they were all – mostly – really supportive and kind of excited for me. But Ezra didn't have anyone; no one could even know he was with me, let alone that he was going to be a father! Literally the only person he could share anything with was me! No one from his life knew anything, and I didn't realise how much it was hurting him. So when he asked, I said he could tell Hardy. How can you have a problem with that?"

Ella sighed. "Because I'm still angry that there is anything to tell, okay? You can't expect me just to get over that. Right now I'm really not sympathetic to Ezra and his problems, frankly. The fact that I'm allowing him to come into my house and see his child is me being plenty sympathetic, I think! And the more people he tells, the more chance this whole thing has of getting out, and I won't let that happen."

"Mom, calm down. He's not going to tell anyone else, okay? Just let him have this one," Aria pleaded. "He needs it."

Ella stared at her daughter for a few moments. "Fine. But you need to impress on him – Hardy, I mean - that he needs to be incredibly discreet about this, and never say a word to anyone. Not even in a third party, "my friend has a baby" kind of way."

"He won't, Mom. Ezra's his friend, and the one who stands to lose everything if this gets out. Hardy wouldn't do that to him."

"He'd better not," Ella said, darkly. "Now here – you take the jug and I'll bring the tray with the glasses."

Aria sighed, but said nothing more as she took the jug from her mother, and followed her back into the living room. Hardy had handed Lily back to Ezra, who was cooing at his daughter and giving her little Eskimo kisses.

"She thinks you're crazy, but I think you're cute," Aria grinned, as she saw this display.

"Pff. She thinks I'm fantastic," Ezra retorted. "Just look at her face; she loves it."

Lily chose that moment to scrunch up her face and wail, and Aria burst out laughing. Ezra, looking back at Aria to pull a face at her, saw Ella laughing too, until she realised he'd seen her, and immediately straightened her face. Ezra sighed and looked away as he gently rocked Lily to soothe her. He had to remember it had literally only been four days since Ella had found out about him and Aria, and he couldn't in all fairness expect her to come around so soon. But it would be so much easier, and so much happier, if she just would!


End file.
